Cancer drug to be covered for Valleyfield woman

Twenty-eight new drugs added to provincial formulary

Newly covered drugs under the provincial formulary will include: For ADHD: Concerta, Biphentin and Vyvanse For Cancer: Avastin, Cotellic/Zelboraf, Opdivo, Vectibix, Xalkori, Herceptin For Cystic Fibrosis: Kalydeo, Cayston, Pulmozyme For Eye Care: Avastin, Eylea, Lucentis For Epilepsy: Diacomit

After a stressful month spent scrambling to afford thousands of dollars in monthly out-of-pocket drug costs, Melanie Fraser can breathe a sigh of relief. The 44-year old Valleyfield resident had spoken out publicly to The Guardian in early June about her struggle to afford Vectibix, a drug treatment her doctor had prescribed as a last option after a failed bout of chemotherapy. After battling cancer for six years, and then being faced with paying $5,760 per month for the drug, she received a call this week from Health Minister Robert Mitchell. Starting in August, she was told, the province would be covering the cost of Vectibix under its drug formulary. “It’s just such good news, to not have the stress on me, knowing that all my family is taking out of their cheques to pay for a drug for me,” Fraser said.

“Now I can concentrate more on myself and healing.” Vectibix will be one of 28 new drugs added to the Island’s drug formulary as of Aug. 1. Health and Wellness Minister Robert Mitchell announced the addition of the new drugs on Wednesday, which will be offered for many health conditions, including eye conditions, adult attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cystic fibrosis. Thirteen of the new drugs added to the list were for cancer patients. The addition of these drugs was the first major addition to the formulary in over two years, said Mitchell. “Obviously, many Islanders rely on medications daily for their needs in fighting whatever type of illness they have. Today’s a great day for Islanders,” Mitchell said. Mitchell said the province would spend $3 million on the addition of the new drugs to the formulary. These drugs are expected to help more than 260 Islanders, according to a government media release. Belinda Montigny, a survivor of cancer, attended the announcement on Wednesday. She agreed the addition of the new medication will improve the quality of life of cancer patients. “To not have to worry about the drugs you need to live life with your family, your children, your grandchildren, this is an incredible announcement today,” Montigny said. The addition of Vectibix followed Fraser’s public struggle with the costs of the drug. Her story was raised in the P.E.I. legislature earlier this month by Opposition MLA Colin LaVie. While Fraser welcomed the news, she wants the government to update the provincial formulary more frequently. “I just hope the government of P.E.I. doesn’t wait every two or three years for this to happen. I think this should be a yearly thing, that there should be new drugs in different categories, every year, added to the list.” Sidney MacEwen, the Opposition health critic, said the addition of the new drugs was good news. But he agreed the formulary should be updated more regularly. “We always seem to wait to see if other provinces approve it. If it goes OK, then we’ll do it down the road. But that doesn’t help the people that need it right away,” MacEwen said. “Perhaps there should be a dedicated allotment every year to spending on these new medications.”