Government in Ontario will pay for three new cancer drugs

Canadian Health Minister George Smitherman has announced that the government will add three new and expensive cancer-fighting drugs to the list of medications it funds.

The drugs are Herceptin for breast cancer, Navelbine, for lung cancer, and Taxotere for prostate cancer.

Smitherman said in a statement that the news is a win-win for breast, lung and prostate cancer patients, who will benefit from the coverage of these new treatments.

Herceptin which is seen as a breakthrough in breast cancer therapy, costs about $40,000 a year.

It is estimated that 2,000 women across Canada, could benefit from the drug annually.

Dr. Carol Sawka of Cancer Care Ontario, says Herceptin is an extremely important development in women's health care, and access to the drug will make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of women in Ontario who are dealing with breast cancer.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, the estimated cost to taxpayers for the therapies will be $148 million over the next three years.

The announcement follows the recommendations by the Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee, an advisory body of medical experts, that assesses the scientific evidence for new drugs and makes recommendations to the government for funding.

The government was able to fast track the review process in the case of Herceptin, which means that the drug was recommended several months sooner than would normally have been the case.

Ontario becomes the second province to fund Herceptin, following British Columbia which announced earlier this month that it would cover the cost of the drug.