This is the BIGGEST call to action in the history of Breast Cancer!

WE are the voices of Metastatic Breast Cancer in Canada. WE are the women and men currently fighting for our lives against this disease. WE are the supporters of the men and women who are fighting Metastatic Breast Cancer in Canada....WE ARE THE CITIZENS OF CANADA who are fighting for equal rights for those who have already been diagnosed with MBC and are fighting. And for those who will be diagnosed in the future.

Ibrance (Palbociclib) is a treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer made by the Pfizer drug company. It's the first drug of its kind and the first drug in 10 years that has been introduced to fight MBC. This targeted treatment is designed for ER+ PR+ HER2-negative patients and is consistently working to prolong the lives of patients fighting MBC.

While we initially celebrated the addition of Ibrance to the majority of the provincial cancer drug formularies, disappointment set in as a number of eligibility criteria were imposed that drastically reduced the population of MBC patients that Ibrance would be funded for.

So who do these restrictions exclude? EVERY SINGLE patient who has been fighting Metastatic Breast Cancer leading up to approval who chose treatment options that were currently approved and funded by the government. Every patient that fought to stay alive, all while waiting for new therapies to be developed to continue their fight.

Knowing that Ibrance was under review and would soon be made available was a false sense of hope for these patients. A drug that has been shown to be very effective in treating not only first line but heavily pretreated Metastatic patients, is still out of reach for so many Canadian citizens in the fight for their life.

What does this actually mean? It means that with this current protocol, the only patients who Ibrance is covered for is the newly diagnosed who also meet the eligibility requirements of being Er+ Pr+ HER2-, post-menopausal without ovarian suppression and who have yet to attempt any forms of treatments. NOT the current patients who have been anxiously waiting for the bureaucratic process to finish in order to gain financial access to this treatment. These patients are still without coverage.

Who would think that being a Canadian with universal health care actually means that the Canadian government will decide who gets to live and who gets to die. Because THIS is exactly what is happening to MBC patients in Canada. Collectively, WE, as patients, supporters and Canadian citizens will not stand by and allow patients to go without access.

Please add your name so that WE are heard.