Experts from CCO work with members of an independent expert advisory group, the Committee to Evaluate Drugs (CED), to review all cancer drugs. The joint CED/CCO subcommittee reviews, evaluates and provides advice to the CED on cancer drugs being considered for funding under either the New Drug Funding Program (NDFP) or the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) or Trillium Drug Program.

A drug is evaluated for evidence of significant clinical benefit and value for money, with input from practice guidelines established by CCO's Program in Evidence-Based Care (PEBC). After the drug has been evaluated for evidence of significant clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness, a recommendation is made to the CED. In turn, the CED makes the final recommendation to the Executive Officer at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. This joint approach between CED and CCO to evaluate drugs allows for consistency in the funding of cancer drugs in Ontario.

Joint Oncology Drug Review (JODR)

An interim cross-jurisdictional, single review process for all cancer drugs has also been implemented to allow for greater consistency in new cancer drug funding decision-making across Canada. The goal of this national approach is to reduce duplication of efforts and to maximize the available expertise and resources across the country. The Joint Oncology Drug Review (JODR) involves all provinces except Quebec and is based on Ontario’s drug review process. As of March 2007, submissions of cancer drugs to Ontario are considered as a submission to all participating jurisdictions, although each province will continue to make its own final funding decision.

Pharmacoeconomics Research Unit

Regardless of the process used to evaluate new cancer drugs, decision-makers and expert committees continue to face challenges when it comes to funding cancer drugs. Often, the clinical evidence required to make a confident decision regarding a drug’s true value is not yet established. If clinical data are not strong, there is a large degree of uncertainty concerning cost-effectiveness. In an effort to address the evidence gaps in drug policy decision-making, CCO established a Pharmacoeconomics Research Unit to conduct in-house pharmacoeconomic analyses.