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ABOUT US

VISION

A world where all people living in Canada get equal and timely access to safe, effective treatments that improve patient outcomes (free of barriers).

MISSION

Ensure the right environment exists in Canada for cancer patients to have access to cancer therapies.

MANDATE

Patient groups working together to promote greater education and understanding of therapies to ensure that Canadians have equal, timely access to these therapies, companion diagnostics and supportive care.

OUR STORY

Innovative medicines are one of the greatest evolutions to emerge in the field of oncology, harnessing the body’s own immune system to fight cancer, and providing patients with metastatic and advanced cancer a real chance of survival. As new innovative medicines come to the Canadian market, questions of sustainability of our health care system continue to take precedence over the conversation.

In 2015 a group of leaders in patient advocacy discussed the need for a network focused on innovative medicines and dedicated to ensuring access to these important therapies to cancer patients in Canada.

Since then, this network of patient advocates has been involved in addressing issues within the system, at the government level and in HTA both related to innovative medicines and other therapies. As new innovative medicines come to the Canadian market, questions of sustainability of our health care system as a whole continue to take precedence over the conversation.

Our goal is to develop evidence-based solutions that improve access to innovative oncology therapies and approaches that promote high-quality care and improved patient outcomes by focusing on an interdisciplinary approach to improving patient outcomes through policy shaping, solution building, education and system change so that all cancer patients can have access to cancer drugs regardless of socio-economic status, postal code or other barriers.

There is an ever-increasing need to focus more broadly on cancer and the barriers that exist for cancer patients and how we can work as a group to provide solutions for better cancer care that translates to improved patient outcomes. New therapies are providing longer survival but a weakened system will inhibit access to these therapies. We must work together to find solutions that lead to improved process’ in the system that can sustain these new effective and expensive drugs. The Network will be devoted to ensuring that the system remains sustainable for cancer care, is committed to increasing innovation and research in Canada while expanding access to these new innovative therapies within a flexible regulatory framework, that is dynamic and dedicated to improving cancer care in Canada, across all therapies and tumour sites.

OUR APPROACH

Assume a leadership role in creating awareness, educating and advocating for safe and effective use of innovative therapies in oncology.

Share patient stories whenever possible to clearly demonstrate the impact of and the need for access to innovative therapies in oncology when communicating to key stakeholders like government and media.

Foster collaboration amongst patient groups and the medical community to improve patient outcomes and promote the value of patient involvement in their treatment and dialogue with their physicians.

As innovative therapies make their way across various disease sites, it will be important that our HTA, reimbursement process, provincial decision makers and cancer agencies stay abreast with the changing information and the influx of requests coming from manufacturers. It will also be important that our system remain sustainable and flexible to change and the Network will work with all the stakeholders to discuss the barriers and the solutions to overcoming these barriers.

OUR OBJECTIVES

Raise awareness of cancer therapies, and educate on value to patients, HCPs and the health care system.

Foster collaboration between patient groups and medical community to meet the changing needs of clinicians and patients in this rapidly evolving environment.

Inform and consult with government, bureaucrats and decision- makers on the value of cancer therapies.

Support patient access to appropriate cancer therapies.