To identify disparities and barriers to access high-cost therapies for childhood cancer in Canada and suggest specific health policy changes to improve access.
Key Findings:
Access rates reported were 89% for blinatumomab (n=35), 79% for larotrectinib (n=27), 59.2% for PBT (n=30), and 94% for tisagenlecleucel (n=30).
Key barriers included travel difficulties, economic and psychosocial impacts of travel, and high costs of therapies.
Interpretation:
Access to high-cost cancer therapies for children in Canada is inconsistent, highlighting the need for universal funding and improved logistical support to address identified barriers.
Limitations:
The survey was limited to pediatric oncology specialists and may not represent all healthcare providers involved in pediatric cancer care.
Responses may be influenced by personal biases and experiences of the participants.
The limited sample size may affect the generalizability of the findings.
Conclusion:
To ensure equitable access to high-cost therapies, Canada needs universal funding, streamlined approval processes, and establishment of PBT centres.
Three clinical development leaders discuss how early signals, trial design, regulatory expectations, and patient access are reshaping clinical development
Evidence provided by a Roswell Park study indicates that neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be the preferred course of treatment for patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) when their disease progresses and they are diagnosed with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)
Marty Makary’s resignation puts the agency under acting leadership, while BMS and Hengrui unveil a multibillion-dollar pipeline deal and GSK lines up a chronic hepatitis B launch in China.
