Three New Cancer Drugs Now Available In Ontario
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From: J on 4 Jul 2008 06:06 http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2008/07/02/c9306.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html Three New Cancer Drugs Now Available In Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care TORONTO, July 2 News Ontarians living with advanced colorectal cancer will now have access to Avastin as a first-line treatment. Ontario will provide more than $30 million in funding over the next three years through the Ontario Public Drug Programs (OPDP) to make Avastin publicly available. Avastin will be used as the first treatment option in therapy for advanced colorectal cancer in Ontario. Ontario will also provide approximately $20 in funding over the next three years for Sprycel to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Alimta to treat non-small cell lung cancer. AVASTIN Clinical trials have shown that Avastin is most effective when used as a first-line treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. The average length of survival for patients who receive Avastin in combination with other chemotherapy treatments is close to 2 years, compared to 15 months for patients who do not receive Avastin as part of their therapy. Initially, Ontario will fund 12 cycles (treatment for 6 months) of Avastin. Four additional cycles (treatment for 2 months) will be funded if the patient's disease has not worsened. Avastin will not be funded as a second-line therapy. Clinical trial results have only shown an improvement of less than 2 months. In addition, the manufacturer of Avastin does not have Health Canada's approval for Avastin in second-line use, nor did the manufacturer submit a request for funding to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (ministry) for second-line therapy. If the manufacturer submits new evidence supporting the use of Avastin for other types of therapy, or in combination with other chemotherapy regimens, it will be reviewed by the ministry's expert committee, the Committee to Evaluate Drugs. First-line treatment refers to the medical therapy that is used for the initial treatment of a disease. Second-line treatment refers to the medical therapy that is used when the initial treatment (i.e., first line treatment) has either failed (disease progresses despite treatment) or has become intolerable. TREATMENT FOR COLORECTAL CANCER IN ONTARIO Since October 1, 2006, Ontario has increased access to drugs for colorectal cancer. Over the past three years, $53 million has been invested through Ontario's public drug programs to provide patients suffering from colorectal cancer with the treatments and therapies they need. With the addition of Avastin, Ontario provides the following first-line and second-line treatment options for advanced colorectal cancer: << First-line treatments - Avastin + FOLFIRI (an irinotencan-based) chemotherapy regimen - FOLFOX (an oxaliplatin-based) chemotherapy regimen - FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimen - 5-Fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy regimen - Raltitrexed single agent - Capecitabine single agent Second-line treatments - FOLFOX chemotherapy regimen - FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimen - Irinotecan single agent >> In the near future, the ministry intends to require K-RAS oncogene testing. K-RAS is like a genetic test that will help to identify those patients more likely to benefit from third-line treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Third line treatment refers to medical therapy that is used when initial treatment (e.g., first-line treatment) and second-line therapy have failed (disease progresses despite treatment). The ministry will provide more details on this initiative soon. ALIMTA The ministry has also approved funding for Alimta under the New Drug Funding Program (NDFP) for patients in Ontario who require chemotherapy as second-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Alimta has proven to be as effective and better tolerated in many patients than docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug that is routinely used for the second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. The funding of Alimta will provide a treatment option for patients with lung cancer who have not had success with first-line chemotherapy treatment. SPRYCEL Sprycel has also been approved by the ministry for funding under the Exceptional Access Program for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for both adult and pediatric patients who did not respond to previous treatment regimens for ALL.
From: sheder1 on 5 Jul 2008 08:54 On Jul 4, 6:06 am, J <xnswex(a)nalid;"no> wrote: > http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2008/07/02/c9306.html?lmatch=&la.... > > Three New Cancer Drugs Now Available In Ontario > Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care > TORONTO, July 2 News > > Ontarians living with advanced colorectal cancer will now have access to > Avastin as a first-line treatment. Ontario will provide more than $30 > million > in funding over the next three years through the Ontario Public Drug > Programs > (OPDP) to make Avastin publicly available. Avastin will be used as the > first > treatment option in therapy for advanced colorectal cancer in Ontario. > Ontario will also provide approximately $20 in funding over the next > three years for Sprycel to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Alimta > to > treat non-small cell lung cancer. > > AVASTIN > > Clinical trials have shown that Avastin is most effective when used as > a > first-line treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. The average length of > > survival for patients who receive Avastin in combination with other > chemotherapy treatments is close to 2 years, compared to 15 months for > patients who do not receive Avastin as part of their therapy. > Initially, Ontario will fund 12 cycles (treatment for 6 months) of > Avastin. Four additional cycles (treatment for 2 months) will be funded if > the > patient's disease has not worsened. > Avastin will not be funded as a second-line therapy. Clinical trial > results have only shown an improvement of less than 2 months. In addition, > the > manufacturer of Avastin does not have Health Canada's approval for Avastin > in > second-line use, nor did the manufacturer submit a request for funding to > the > Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (ministry) for second-line therapy. > If > the manufacturer submits new evidence supporting the use of Avastin for > other > types of therapy, or in combination with other chemotherapy regimens, it > will > be reviewed by the ministry's expert committee, the Committee to Evaluate > Drugs. > First-line treatment refers to the medical therapy that is used for > the > initial treatment of a disease. Second-line treatment refers to the > medical > therapy that is used when the initial treatment (i.e., first line > treatment) > has either failed (disease progresses despite treatment) or has become > intolerable. > Is this the first time AVASTIN has been approved in Canada for any cancer ? My husband was prescribed AVASTIN in April 2005 (Florida) for colorectal cancer. This was not an "off line" use. ( I believe at that time AVASTIN was prescribed by some oncologists as "off line" for some lung cancers.) Any idea why it took Canada so long to approve AVASTIN for colorectal ?
From: J on 6 Jul 2008 05:44
sheder1 wrote: > On Jul 4, 6:06 am, J <xnswex(a)nalid;"no> wrote: > > > > Three New Cancer Drugs Now Available In Ontario > > Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care > > TORONTO, July 2 News > > > http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2008/07/02/c9306.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html > > > > > Clinical trials have shown that Avastin is most effective when used as > > a > > first-line treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. The average length of > > > > survival for patients who receive Avastin in combination with other > > chemotherapy treatments is close to 2 years, compared to 15 months for > > patients who do not receive Avastin as part of their therapy. > > Initially, Ontario will fund 12 cycles (treatment for 6 months) of > > Avastin. Four additional cycles (treatment for 2 months) will be funded if > > the > > patient's disease has not worsened. > > Avastin will not be funded as a second-line therapy. Clinical trial > > results have only shown an improvement of less than 2 months. In addition, > > the > > manufacturer of Avastin does not have Health Canada's approval for Avastin > > in > > second-line use, nor did the manufacturer submit a request for funding to > > the > > Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (ministry) for second-line therapy. > > If > > the manufacturer submits new evidence supporting the use of Avastin for > > other > > types of therapy, or in combination with other chemotherapy regimens, it > > will > > be reviewed by the ministry's expert committee, the Committee to Evaluate > > Drugs. > > First-line treatment refers to the medical therapy that is used for > > the > > initial treatment of a disease. Second-line treatment refers to the > > medical > > therapy that is used when the initial treatment (i.e., first line > > treatment) > > has either failed (disease progresses despite treatment) or has become > > intolerable. > > > Is this the first time AVASTIN has been approved in Canada for any > cancer ? My husband was prescribed AVASTIN in April 2005 (Florida) > for colorectal cancer. This was not an "off line" use. ( I believe at > that time AVASTIN was prescribed by some oncologists as "off line" for > some lung cancers.) > Any idea why it took Canada so long to approve AVASTIN for > colorectal ? Clinical trials have to be repeated for various reasons (which take extra time). Repeat clinical trials have determined its best use. It's called evidence based medicine. I expect the same would be required for each type of cancer. http://www.cancercare.on.ca/pdf/pebc2-25s.pdf Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guidelines Initiative KEY EVIDENCE Three phase III RCTs (1-3) and two phase II randomized trials (4,5) comparing a chemotherapy regimen to the same regimen plus bevacizumab were included in this review. Four of the five clinical trials studied bevacizumab in the first-line treatment of advanced colorectal cancer (1,3-5)." I can't speak to other Provinces (whether it was approved earlier and/or is also currently approved, or not) ; it would take me too long to research each. J |