Ontario narrows out-of-country drug funding rules after cancer patient court victory
An Ontario man with Stage 4 melanoma says the province has blocked access to funding for out-of-country drug treatments in response to his attempts to seek therapy in the U.S.
An Ontario court ruling has prompted the province to narrow its out-of-country drug funding rules following a cancer patient's victory. Alex Shved, a 37-year-old father of two, sought out-of-country therapy for his Stage 4 melanoma, but Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) denied his request, citing the drug's status as under review in Ontario.
The Divisional Court ruled that OHIP had no basis for this reasoning, ordering the province to reconsider. In response, OHIP has now rejected Shved's request for a third time, and Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced that the province has amended regulations to clarify that drugs will only be funded out of country if they are already funded within the province but access is temporarily unavailable or delayed. The government is also exploring a "mutually satisfactory resolution" for Shved's individual case.
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- Ontario narrows out-of-country drug funding rules after cancer patient court victory winnipegfreepress.com
- This Ontario man won a court case for Stage 4 cancer treatment in the U.S. Then the province changed the rules cbc.ca
- Ontario narrows out-of-country drug funding rules after cancer patient court victory globalnews.ca
