Ontario family pleads with Ministry of Health to fund pricey cancer drug

A man is pleading with Ontario’s Ministry of Health to cover the cost of a drug that could help save his life. CTV’s Ashley Bacon explains.

A Waterloo man is asking Ontario’s Ministry of Health to cover the cost of a pricey drug that is improving his quality of life.

Vahe Vanayan, who has Stage 4 bile duct cancer, told CTV News that Enhertu is currently covered by OHIP for some patients, like those with breast cancer, but not others.

The drug costs $8,000 per treatment, which happens every three weeks.

Vanayan said he’s had to turn to crowdfunding in order to finance his own treatment.

“According to my oncologist, if I didn’t go on this, I probably wouldn’t be here with you right now,” he told CTV News on Tuesday.

Vanayan, who is 45 years old, thought he was healthy until going for an ultrasound last year for a suspected hernia. That’s when doctors found tumours on his liver.

“After a bunch of tests, they discovered that I had Stage 4 biliary tract cancer, which is terminal,” Vanayan said. “There’s not many treatments.”

Early treatment didn’t help improve his quality of life, so Vanayan’s oncologist suggested he try another medication used to treat breast cancer.

“They had just found in a small Japanese study can help with this cancer because I happen to have the matching DNA,” he explained. “In October, they switched it and since then I’ve been able to clean up, do groceries. I even went to work a couple of weeks ago to help one of my employees trim a floor. I have energy, I feel functional again, I feel normal on some level. It’s been huge.”

His brother Hago Vanayan also saw a huge change.

“The last batch of chemo you could tell, he was on his deathbed, it was coming. And now this new treatment has kind of given breath to another stage in this battle,” he said.

Their relief, however, was short lived as the treatments became too costly.

“It adds an entire layer of stress, financial burden, and when you’re talking end of life planning. It’s really something that people shouldn’t have to be burdened with,” Hago explained. “It’s more [about] that quality of time that he’s going to spend with his family, with his friends.”

He was emotional as he added: “Every day, every hour, every week, every month we have with him, it’s a blessing.”

“I can be in the chemo suite and someone can be getting Enhertu right beside me, and I’m in the same place, the same Canada, the same Ontario, the same hospital, the same tax paying system and not get the same treatment,” Vanayan said. “I think that’s unfair.”

Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife has been lobbying the Ministry of Health on Vanayan’s behalf.

In an email to CTV News, she said: “Health care is not a luxury, it is a right. Being forced to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for cancer treatment is unacceptable. Mr. Vanayan deserves answers. My team has been waiting for over a month to get support from the Ministry of Health about Mr. Vanayan’s case and still can’t get a response. We need accountability and answers.”

CTV News also reached out to the Ministry of Health.

In a statement, they said hospital-administered drugs, like Enhertu, are funded through Ontario’s New Drug Funding Program.

“For a new use of a medication to be added to the New Drug Funding Program, in this case Enhertu to be publicly funded for the treatment of bile duct cancer, the pharmaceutical manufacturer needs to obtain approval for that specific use from Health Canada,” the ministry explained. “To do this, they need to submit information that demonstrates the medication’s benefit and safety in treating the medical condition. Enhertu is not approved by Health Canada for the treatment of biliary tract cancer. Should the manufacturer wish to make a submission to Health Canada and the established national process, funding for Enhertu for bile duct cancer could be considered in the future.”