News Press Release | PharmiWeb.com
AstraZeneca Canada
Canada NewsWire
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 5, 2016
Pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) Decides not to Recommend Lynparza for Reimbursement
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 5, 2016 /CNW/ - Following its
deliberations, the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) recently
announced its decision not to recommend for provincial reimbursement,
Lynparza (olaparib), a maintenance treatment for women with
platinum-sensitive relapsed BRCA-mutated (germline or somatic)
high grade serous epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary
peritoneal cancer. AstraZeneca Canada is extremely disappointed that
pCODR has disregarded the demonstrated significant clinical benefits of
Lynparza, including potentially prolonging life, creating a roadblock
for Canadian women in accessing the first oral, targeted therapy for BRCA-mutated relapsed ovarian cancer.
"We are surprised and deeply disappointed in pCODR's
assessment of Lynparza," says Mark Findlay, Vice President, Patient
Access & Established Brands, AstraZeneca Canada. "Regulatory
bodies around the world, Canadian oncologists and patient organizations
have all demonstrated strong support for this important advancement in
ovarian cancer treatment. Additionally, women from many countries with
similar reimbursement agencies as pCODR, such as the UK, France, Norway,
Denmark and Sweden, already have access to this treatment option as a
result of reimbursement of Lynparza; Canadian women deserve no less. We
are committed to working with provincial governments to urgently address
the issue of access to Lynparza for Canadian women with relapsed
ovarian cancer."
In its assessment, pCODR questioned the clinical benefits of
Lynparza, despite Health Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and many regulatory bodies
around the world having assessed and approved Lynparza based on its
efficacy and safety data. Lynparza was first approved by the FDA in 2014
following an accelerated approval. Since then, more than 45 countries
have approved Lynparza, several of which have also provided accelerated
approval.1 The pCODR recommendation not to list means that, for many
Canadian women, it will be more difficult to receive coverage for a
medicine that has been reimbursed and available to patients in many
countries since 2014. Canadian women with ovarian cancer are at a
distinct disadvantage, as Canada is now falling behind emerging
economies, including Greece, Romania, Hungary and Poland, when it comes
to providing public funding for this innovative, targeted therapy.2
5 years vs never: 0.70; 95
50 vs >50 years: 1.23; 95
The Cancer in Central and South America Project is a collaboration
between the Section of Cancer Surveillance of the International Agency
for Research on Cancer (IARC), the Red de Institutos e Instituciones
Nacionales de Cáncer (RINC) and cancer registries in the Central and
South American region. The project commenced in 2013, with the primary
objective of collating data collected by these cancer registries;
presenting the data in a standardized, comparable format; and making
them available to cancer research and control communities within the
region and elsewhere. 
