Kidney Cancer Canada’s position on RCC Medications
All Canadians living with kidney cancer deserve to have access to the treatments that can extend their survival and ultimately the time they can spend with their family, regardless of where they live.
Just like other cancers, one treatment most likely won’t be enough when you have advanced kidney cancer. When the initial treatment stops working, other options are needed to fight this disease.
Drug Access in Canada
Depending on the oncology medication (IV or oral) you require, it will be administered either within (i.e. a hospital) or outside a clinical setting. These same medications are made accessible to patients through a number of different ways:
Private Insurance – if you have private drug coverage, usually through your employer or because you’ve purchased it, you will be able to get the oncology medicines you require if your insurance carrier covers them – not all carriers cover all cancer drugs.
Public Drug Plans – if you qualify for the public drug plan in your province (e.g., in some provinces you need to be 65 years of age or older or below a certain income level), you will be able to get the oncology medicines you require if your provincial plan covers them – not all public plans cover all cancer drugs.
Out-of-Pocket – in some situations oncology medications may be purchased for cash with a proper prescription, for those who have the means to pay.
But even before cancer drugs are provided to Canadian patients, there is a three-step process they need to go through:
