Ontario to speed up access to select cancer drugs by up to one year in new pilot
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TORONTO – Ontario says it will speed up the lengthy approval process for select cancer drugs by up to one year as part of a new pilot project.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced the three-year fast-track program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto.
Jones says seven to 10 high-priority cancer drugs that are approved by Health Canada through Project Orbis will be expedited in each year of the pilot.
The federal government joined Project Orbis, an international initiative launched in 2019, to get patients promising cancer treatments sooner.
The Ontario Ministry of Health says it takes about two years in Canada for a newly approved drug to reach a patient, a year longer than in other developed countries.
Jones says the province will start the process of publicly funding select new drugs while pan-Canadian pricing negotiations are still underway with drug manufacturers.
Typically, public drug program funding doesn’t begin until after the negotiations.
The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance said last week it was seeking input on an early negotiation process that would speed up public drug coverage for Canadian patients.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2025.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.