Three New Cancer Drugs Now Available In Ontario

http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE...=&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.

On Jul 4, 6:06*am, J <xnswex@nalid;"no> wrote:
> http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE...tml?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 ?

sheder1 wrote:

> On Jul 4, 6:06 am, J <xnswex@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...=&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