A Calgary woman fighting ovarian cancer is urging governments and drug manufacturers to return to the negotiating table after talks to make a new treatment publicly available in Canada broke down. Tiffany Morin was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer at age 38. Since then, she has undergone five surgeries, chemotherapy and multiple hormone treatments while living with recurring disease. Now 46, Morin says she is speaking out not only for herself but for other women facing limited treatment options. “Hearing that you’re diagnosed with ovarian cancer as a young person, it hits you really hard,” she said, holding back tears. “But it also makes you appreciate things in your life. It makes you fight hard for things that are important, which is why I’m here today to fight for my own life and for others.” Morin is among patients and advocates calling for renewed negotiations over Elahere, a targeted drug approved by Health Canada last year for some patients with recurrent ovarian cancer that no longer responds to platinum-based chemotherapy. The drug is administered through intravenous infusion once every 21 days. A treatment cycle of three to four vials costs between $27,000 and $29,000. Elahere received a positive reimbursement recommendation from Canada’s Drug Agency, but negotiations between the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) and manufacturer AbbVie ended without an agreement in May. Without a negotiated price, provinces, including Alberta, cannot move forward with public funding. Morin, who is currently receiving injectable hormone treatments, is not eligible to receive Elahere herself, but hopes it will be available for others who may depend on it. “We want that available. If I need it down the road, I would love to have that option,” she said. “I can’t imagine being a person that would need access to a medication that could help me, or being friends or family members of someone that could extend their life and not have access to that.” A disease with few treatment advances According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer in Canada is 44 per cent, meaning fewer than half of those diagnosed are expected to survive at least five years. Ovarian Cancer Canada says about 3,100 Canadians are diagnosed each year and roughly 2,000 die from the disease annually. “The reason for this is that ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at a late stage — stage three or four — when it has spread beyond the ovaries and reproductive system,” said Tania Vrionis, chief executive officer of Ovarian Cancer Canada. Unlike some other cancers, there is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer. Symptoms such as bloating, abdominal discomfort, changes in bowel or urinary habits and feeling full quickly can be mistaken for less serious conditions, making early detection difficult. Even when initial treatments are successful, many patients eventually see their cancer return. “In up to 85 per cent of cases, treatments that were initially effective stop working as the body develops resistance to the chemotherapy most commonly used,” Vrionis said. Hope for patients with recurrent disease Elahere is the first new treatment for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer in more than a decade. The therapy is designed for patients whose tumours test positive for folate receptor-alpha and whose cancer has stopped responding to platinum-based chemotherapy. “It cleared those hurdles,” Vrionis said of the approval process. “It had Health Canada approval. It had a positive recommendation from Canada’s Drug Agency, which means our regulatory bodies say this is safe, effective and that patients deserve access to it.” But she said the process stalled during national pricing negotiations. “We unfortunately received notification this spring that the pCPA terminated those negotiations without an agreement, which effectively blocks access to this treatment through our public system.” “We will lose women as a result of this decision. They don’t have the luxury of time, and it’s devastating for our community and a result that is simply unacceptable.” In a statement, Ovarian Cancer Canada called the outcome “devastating and unacceptable” and urged all parties to restart negotiations. The organization said Health Canada’s approval of Elahere in 2025 offered hope after decades without a new treatment shown to improve outcomes for women with recurrent ovarian cancer. Balancing access and cost Dr. Helen McTaggart-Cowan, a scientist with BC Cancer and assistant professor in Simon Fraser University’s faculty of health sciences, says new cancer treatments must be evaluated carefully, but timely access remains important. “In Canada, a treatment can be approved by Health Canada, but for patients to access it, it must be funded by their home province or territory,” she said. “Even when effective treatments become available, access isn’t always equitable across the country. As a result, some patients face delays or may not be able to access treatments that their health-care team recommends.” McTaggart-Cowan said decision-makers must weigh both financial realities and patient outcomes. “It’s really important to think about funding new treatments because decisions must consider that health-care resources are finite,” she said. “But it’s also important to consider not only the cost, but the value — whether treatments help patients live longer, live better and fulfil an unmet medical need.” She added that timely access can mean more than extending survival. “Accessing treatments in a timely manner is important not only to extend an individual’s life, but also for quality of life — balancing time with family and achieving milestones.” Alberta points to national funding process In a statement to CTV News, Alberta’s Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services said the province recognizes the urgency facing patients and their families. The ministry said Alberta follows the same national review and pricing process as other provinces before considering public coverage for new cancer therapies. “For Elahere, pCPA negotiations with the manufacturer have not resulted in an agreement to date,” the statement said. “If the manufacturer provides a new offer that aligns with pCPA pricing expectations, negotiations could be reopened through the established process.” The ministry added Alberta “remains committed to working with provincial and territorial partners to support access to innovative cancer therapies for Albertans.” For Morin, whose cancer has returned after a period without evidence of disease, the issue extends beyond one medication. She hopes speaking publicly will help improve outcomes for future patients. “If somebody is diagnosed with ovarian cancer today, in five years there’s a 50 per cent chance they will not be here,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that I’m here today, but we need to speak up. Our voices need to be heard and we need to make change and make the outcomes for people diagnosed with this disease much, much better.”
