TORONTO - Ontario is expanding access to a cancer drug that was the subject of a scathing report by the province's ombudsman earlier this year.
In a statement released Sunday, the Liberals say they will cover the cost of Avastin for patients who require the costly drug beyond the 16 two-week treatments currently paid for, if medical evidence shows their disease hasn't progressed.
Cancer patients will now be covered for up to 24 treatments of the drug, and further treatments could be funded based on advice from the patient's doctor or oncologist.
In September, ombudsman Andre Marin released a report criticizing the government's decision to cut off funding for Avastin after 16 treatments, calling it wrong, unreasonable, and verging on cruelty.
Marin said several colorectal cancer patients were forced to pay for Avastin out of their own pockets or stop treatment after reaching the government's arbitrary limit.
He said that of the seven provinces that cover the cost of Avastin, only Ontario had a hard cap on the number of publicly-funded treatments.
