Drug Approval Process

Before a drug can be used in Canada, it must go through a rigorous approval process by Health Canada. It is important to note that once the drug has been approved, it can take years before patients have access to it.

All new, publicly funded drugs undergo a review process encouraging greater consistency in cancer drug funding across the country.

Despite the national review processes that are in place, most publically-funded drug plans continue to make their own decisions as to which medications they will or will not list. As a result, the coverage of new treatments often varies across the country.