In cancer care, patients often face increased anxiety and uncertainty about their future care pathway. This is paired with an immediate need for therapy to treat potentially aggressive disease.

Coverage eligibility for THCD varies significantly across Canadian provinces, creating interprovincial differences. Gaps in coverage of THCDs across provinces lead to inequitable access to cancer treatments, potentially unanticipated costs to the patient and their families, and often discontinuity in their cancer treatment.

The whitepaper identifies the gaps in access to Take Home Cancer Drugs (THCDs) in the provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Using a model-based design, PDCI measured patient financial gaps in coverage and utilization for specified oral oncology drugs in the selected provinces.

From our analysis:

The model results highlight differences in access and areas of opportunity for improvement in provincial approaches to THCD funding.  PDCI’s analysis of current THCD spending shows an underutilization of THCDs in provinces without comprehensive and accessible drug programs.

• Across Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, the total perceived THCD gap is estimated to be between $19.4 million and $51.9 million.
• Today, these gaps may be borne by third parties, including manufacturer-sponsored patient support programs, patient out-of-pocket costs, or result in reduced utilization and associated life benefits.
• Patients on oral oncology therapies will likely always be subject to prior authorization requirements, which take a few weeks to process to obtain and maintain coverage and reimbursement.

The research identifies important cancer information for all Canadians and a call to action for policymakers to increase services to support and improve access to drugs for people with cancer.

This paper has been authored and prepared by PDCI Market Access, a division of McKesson Canada and funded by the Canadian Cancer Society.

See the full whitepaper here.

Please contact John-Paul Dowson, Director of Strategic Consulting & Policy Research at jp.dowson@pdci.ca for any questions or further information.