Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada is pleased to announce that the Ontario government has made ERBITUX(TM) (cetuximab) available to patients suffering from metastatic colorectal cancer. This decision makes Ontario the second province, after British Columbia, to introduce funding for this important treatment option and represents encouraging news for those patients who rely on provincial drug coverage and stopped responding to standard treatments for metastatic colon cancer.
The addition of ERBITUX to the list of publicly reimbursed anticancer medications in Ontario is testament to the high level of evidence to support its safety and clinical effectiveness.
"There is strong clinical data to support the use of cetuximab in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Having access to this important option will make an appreciable difference," explained Dr. Derek Jonker, oncologist at the Ottawa Cancer Centre. "Access to the latest proven advancements allows us to make treatment choices that ensure the best possible patient care to our patients."
The randomized multi-centre Phase II trial known as the "BOND" study provided the clinical evidence supporting the use of ERBITUX in combination with irinotecan or with chemotherapy. In this study, the combination therapy demonstrated a significant response rate of 22.9%, a time to progression of 4.1 months, and resulted in 55.5% of patients to either get a response or stabilize their disease. Also of note, the significantly higher response rate (25.8%) and longer time to progression with irinotecan-refractory tumors suggests that cetuximab + irinotecan may circumvent irinotecan resistance. Finally, a median survival of 8.6 months was reported for the intent-to-treat population although the study was not designed to demonstrate a survival advantage.
This year in Canada, an estimated 22,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the country. Nearly one quarter of these patients have metastatic disease, or cancer that has spread to other organs, at the time of diagnosis.