[Nancy Shamanna]

Pomalyst recommended for public funding in Canada

by Nancy Shamanna on Wed Jun 04, 2014 1:15 pm

I am very pleased to report some positive news concerning Pomalyst. It was approved by Health Canada on Feb. 11, 2014, in combination with low-dose dexamethasone as a third-line treatment for myeloma patients who no longer respond to bortezomib and lenalidomide. This approval by HC, does not however guarantee access to the drug for patients on public or provincial drug plans (which includes most Canadians)>

A drug which is meant for a cancer treatment then must be approved by the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR). A thorough review of the cost and benefit is done. In the case of Pomalyst, Myeloma Canada submitted a report to pCODR, which was a summary of an online questionnaire. A total of 406 patients and caregivers from Canada and the U.S. responded to that, which was a very high number by pCODR standards. pCODR issued a positive recommendation for Pomalyst on May 30 (just last week).

So where do we go from here with accessing Pomalyst? Another group, the Pan Canadian Pricing Alliance, is the negotiator to determine the pricing for a publicly funded drug. If and when a price is agreed upon, the provinces are under no obligation to include the drug in their list of funded drugs. That is why access to myeloma drugs varies from province to province. It is at the level of provincial funding that patient groups often get involved with lobbying for the inclusion of the drug.

I saw this happen with Revlimid, in 2010, and I am looking forward to being able to 'pay it forward' by helping to lobby for Pomalyst. Today is a 'good news day' for myeloma patients in my country!