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Province to cover cost of cancer medication
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Dr. Eric Bow says Revlimid has weaknesses.
Manitobans with a rare form of cancer will now have better access to a drug that used to come with a bank-breaking price tag.
The Manitoba government announced this week it will pay for Revlimid for patients with multiple myeloma who meet certain criteria -- a decision that doctors say could ease pain and perhaps even extend their lives by a few months.
What is multiple myeloma?
A rare cancer that affects plasma cells, and typically affects multiple areas of the bone marrow.
How many Manitobans have it?
Doctors say between 30 and 50 patients are diagnosed each year.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer with no known cause or cure that affects plasma cells.
Manitoba was one of the last provinces in Canada to approve Revlimid, and the drug can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 a month. It is used for patients who have relapsed or not responded to other treatments, such as chemotherapy or stem-cell transplants.
Patients say the medication's excessive cost made it out-of-reach for people who didn't have private insurance or who couldn't access it through clinical trials on compassionate grounds.
"There is no way (it's affordable)," said Marguerite Leask. "You could probably afford it if you mortgage your home for a month or two."
Leask was among a group of eight local patients who pushed the province to cover the pricey drug treatment earlier this year. The 66-year-old was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2006, and said she was able to access the drug through a pharmaceutical company's compassionate-care program.
She said the drug has drastically improved her quality of her life, and she wanted to make sure other patients had the opportunity.
"I know there were other patients who weren't able to get it," she said. "It's not as invasive (as other treatments). I'm able to still take care of my grandchildren."
Dr. Eric Bow, CancerCare Manitoba's medical director of clinical and academic services, said some scientific studies have shown some patients lived longer on the treatment and experienced less pain in their bones.
Bow said the drug is another tool to treat cancer, but is not a breakthrough cure. He said he would take a cautious approach in prescribing the medication.
"It is not the perfect tool for all cancers, it has weaknesses like any medication," he said.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 13, 2010 A8
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