HealthPeople in Ontario will have fast-tracked access to some new cancer drugs, Sylvia Jones, the province’s deputy premier and minister of health, has announced. Program aims to connect patients to cancer treatments almost a full year soonerAmina Zafar · CBC News · Posted: Oct 07, 2025 11:50 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoOntario’s new Funding Accelerated for Specific Treatments program aims to improve patients’ access to life-saving and life-changing cancer treatments. (Gerry Broome/The Associated Press)People in Ontario will have fast-tracked access to some new cancer drugs, Sylvia Jones, the province’s deputy premier and minister of health, announced Tuesday. The Funding Accelerated for Specific Treatments, or FAST, program aims to connect patients to life-saving and life-changing cancer treatments almost a full year sooner, reducing delays and improving access, Jones said at the University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto.”This three-year pilot will expedite access to up to 10 high-priority cancer drugs each year that are approved by Health Canada through the Project Orbis Pathway,” Jones said.Project Orbis is an international project started by the U.S. that also includes Canada, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Israel.Under the program, patients will be able to access approved medications while jurisdictions across Canada negotiate prices before public funding.The priority is on speed while managing safety, Jones said. Drug negotiations streamlinedSylvia Jones, Ontario’s deputy premier and minister of health, announces fast-tracked access to some new cancer drugs on Tuesday. (Tess Ha/CBC)Asked about how the effort fits into broader plans from the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance to speed up negotiation timelines on drug prices across Canada, Jones said she sees collaboration as important for all provinces. The project prioritizes timely access to critical treatments starting with oncology, said Bettina Hamelin, president and CEO of Innovative Medicines Canada, which represents the pharmaceutical industry.Dr. Bishal Gyawali, a medical oncologist and associate professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, called the project a positive step, but said it will be important to check that providing early access to drugs ultimately benefits patients.”Whenever there is a complaint about delays, people always complain that the government is not funding it,” Gyawali said.”But it’s not just the government, there is also the industry. We should also be asking why the industry is not lowering its prices.”Encouraging companies to bring medications to the Canadian market earlier could also speed access, said Mina Tadrous, who researches drug policy at the University of Toronto.With files from CBC’s Jennifer Yoon
Ontarians will have quicker access to some new cancer drugs, health minister says
