Thank you for signing our petition urging Ontario’s political parties to commit to equal access to take-home cancer drugs! We wanted to share an important update with you on our efforts.

A coalition of patient groups, cancer health charities, and caregiver organizations - including the charities supporting this petition - submitted a 2022 budget proposal to the Ontario government with two recommendations:

• Recommendation 1: Close the Funding Gap for all Cancer Patients in Ontario | Increase funding by $30M for take-home cancer drugs so that all Ontario cancer patients – regardless of one’s cancer type, age, socioeconomic status, and geographic location – have access to the most effective approved treatments they need and get it when they need it.
• Recommendation 2: Enhance the Delivery of Take-Home Cancer Drugs in Ontario | As recommended by Cancer Care Ontario, make the necessary reforms to streamline the service delivery model of take-home cancer drugs so that all Ontarians receive consistent, safe, high-quality care in the community setting, while simultaneously achieving cost-efficiencies and eliminating waste.

In addition to making these recommendations, the coalition included video stories of patients struggling to access their cancer drugs:

• Suzanne and Diane both have metastatic breast cancer, but their treatments come in different forms (IV vs. pill). Diane had to jump through hoops and pay out of pocket to access treatment.
• Rebecca was diagnosed with the most aggressive brain cancers. The only chemotherapy treatment is in pill form, but it is not covered by Ontario’s drug program because she is under 65.

In January 2022, drug market access company PDCI released a report titled Uncovering the hidden costs of Take-Home Cancer Drugs, revealing the following: 

• Average monthly costs of THCDs ranges from $3,000 to $12,000, typically averaging $6,000/month.
• Between 17-30% of cancer patients aged 25 to 64 have no private insurance whatsoever.
• An average of 33-40% of cancer patients under the age of 65 are underinsured, meaning their private drug plan’s annual maximum is well below the average annual costs of most THCDs.

What is most alarming is that about 20% fewer uninsured patients are accessing take-home cancer medications in Ontario compared to patients with comprehensive public coverage.

As we continue working to bring attention to the issue of access to take-home cancer drugs, we hope you’ll help us reach even more Canadians by sharing our petition on Facebook and Twitter - 

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Thank you for your help. Let’s reach 5,000 signatures in the next 24 hours!