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slm · 03-27-2014, 08:10 AM

Hi Caroline. I am late responding to you, so I sent a private message too - hope you got it. As a fellow Canadian, I was interested in your comment re TDM1 (Roche calls this Kadcyla) and the private clinic issue.

Right now, no Canadian province covers TDM1, (at least that is my most recent info) but if your private insurance carrier covers it, you may still be able to get it in a hospital. I take pertuzamab (perjeta) which is not covered by my province but my health care plan pays for it. lucky lucky me. At first I too was told I would have to get my injections at a private clinic, BUT I worked with the "Roche Patient Assistance Program" in Canada, and they arranged with my private insurance company to have the drugs delivered to the hospital pharmacy and they bill by insurance carrier through some local pharmacy in Toronto (I think) - its weird and no one has actually explained the billing process to me, I just know it works.

I called Roche today, because they also sell TDM1 (they refer to it as kadcyla). Call this number 1-855-224-2233, and see what you have to do to get enrolled in their patient assistance program. Your doctor may have to complete a form too, but once you are in the program, a case worker will work with all parties to see that you get the drug, if you still want it.

Of course its called patient assistance, and they were great for me, but really, they just want to sell their drugs. That said, they do a lot of the leg work for you.

Here are some other websites that might be of interest to you - I don't know. The pan Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pcodr). This group reviews all new cancer drugs approved for sale in Canada and makes recommendations to the provinces on whether to cover these drugs (not all provinces do so at the same time, BUT are supposed to since we are supposed to have access to equal health care in Canada, regardless of the province in which you reside) and also the pan Canadian drug pricing alliance group - this organization is a compilation of various provinces that want to band together (so to speak) to purchase new drugs at volume discount prices.

I believe you (and all of us stage IVers ) will survive many long years yet .

sharon from pei

03-27-2014, 08:10 AM	#2
slm Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 4	Re: Next step Hi Caroline. I am late responding to you, so I sent a private message too - hope you got it. As a fellow Canadian, I was interested in your comment re TDM1 (Roche calls this Kadcyla) and the private clinic issue. Right now, no Canadian province covers TDM1, (at least that is my most recent info) but if your private insurance carrier covers it, you may still be able to get it in a hospital. I take pertuzamab (perjeta) which is not covered by my province but my health care plan pays for it. lucky lucky me. At first I too was told I would have to get my injections at a private clinic, BUT I worked with the "Roche Patient Assistance Program" in Canada, and they arranged with my private insurance company to have the drugs delivered to the hospital pharmacy and they bill by insurance carrier through some local pharmacy in Toronto (I think) - its weird and no one has actually explained the billing process to me, I just know it works. I called Roche today, because they also sell TDM1 (they refer to it as kadcyla). Call this number 1-855-224-2233, and see what you have to do to get enrolled in their patient assistance program. Your doctor may have to complete a form too, but once you are in the program, a case worker will work with all parties to see that you get the drug, if you still want it. Of course its called patient assistance, and they were great for me, but really, they just want to sell their drugs. That said, they do a lot of the leg work for you. Here are some other websites that might be of interest to you - I don't know. The pan Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pcodr). This group reviews all new cancer drugs approved for sale in Canada and makes recommendations to the provinces on whether to cover these drugs (not all provinces do so at the same time, BUT are supposed to since we are supposed to have access to equal health care in Canada, regardless of the province in which you reside) and also the pan Canadian drug pricing alliance group - this organization is a compilation of various provinces that want to band together (so to speak) to purchase new drugs at volume discount prices. I believe you (and all of us stage IVers ) will survive many long years yet . sharon from pei