Optimizing Access to Cancer Drugs for Canadians November 2009

New treatments tend
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patients, who now
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Optimizing Access to
Cancer Drugs for Canadians
November 2009

Public Policy Forum
Building Beer Government
The Public Policy Forum is an independent, not-for-prot
organizaon aimed at improving the quality of government in
Canada through enhanced dialogue among the public, private
and voluntary sectors. The Forum’s members, drawn from
business, federal and provincial governments, the voluntary
sector and organized labour, share a belief that an ecient
and eecve public service is important in ensuring Canada’s
compeveness abroad and quality of life at home.
Established in 1987, the Forum has earned a reputaon as a
trusted, non-parsan facilitator, capable of bringing together a
wide range of stakeholders in producve dialogue. Its research
program provides a neutral base to inform collecve decision
making. By promong informaon sharing and greater links
between governments and other sectors, the Forum helps
ensure public policy in this country is dynamic, coordinated
and responsive to future challenges and opportunies.
© 2009, Public Policy Forum
Public Policy Forum
1405-130 Albert St.
Oawa, ON K1P 5G4
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Authors:
John Macaulay, Research Associate, with direcon from Linda
Kristal, Vice President, Public Aairs
www.ppforum.ca

November 2009

Contents
Execuve Summary 5
Sommaire 6
Introducon 7
Discussion 9
Breakout Sessions 13
Conclusion 16
Annex 1: Agenda 18
Annex 2: Parcipant List 20
Annex 3: Leer to Health Ministers 22
Annex 4: Supporng Organizaons 23

Public Policy Forum 5
Optimizing Access to Cancer Drug for Canadians
Executive Summary
On September 15th 2009, stakeholders from across the country gathered at Opmizing
Access to Cancer Drugs for Canadians, a day-long symposium in Oawa, to begin building
consensus around how to improve Canadians’ access to cancer drugs. The Public
Policy Forum (PPF), working with its partners the Canadian Cancer Acon Network
(CCAN) and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), convened leaders from key federal and provincial
government departments and agencies, health professional organizaons, paents and paent
advocacy groups, the medical and research communies and the insurance and pharmaceucal
industries. It was the rst me such a diverse group of cancer drug stakeholders in Canada had
gathered to tackle the complex and somemes contenous issues aecng access.
Specically, parcipants addressed how to move towards pan-Canadian standards, what can be
done to improve drug coverage, and how to oset the eects of high drug prices and ensure the
sustainability of the system.
Several inial recommendaons for further acon emerged from the day’s discussion. First, in
moving towards pan-Canadian standards, parcipants agreed that a rened version of the Joint
Oncology Drug Review (JODR) should be implemented, providing a single naonal recommendaon
that would bring greater consistency to drug approvals across the country. Second, to improve
coverage and protect paents and families from nancial burden, parcipants called for a
transparent system of equitable, portable, mandatory and universal insurance, developed and
managed by both private and public payers. And nally, on the issue of liming the eects of
high prices parcipants expressed support for an ethics-based threshold to determine what
constutes fair value for cancer drugs. The threshold would allow for a range of costs that reects
cancer paent diversity and would account for the total value of pharmaceucal innovaon as an
economic driver in Canada.
By bringing all cancer drug stakeholders together for the rst me, the symposium set the stage
for further dialogue. The event provided parcipants, as well as the wider cancer drug community,
with direcon for developing acons that will improve consistency of access to cancer drugs and
build a sustainable system of coverage for Canadian cancer paents.
The PPF would like to acknowledge Susan Turner of Turner & Associates for her input and advice
throughout the duraon of this project.