Yes, I know Ibrutinib is mostly a US story

[andrewschorr]

My UK friend Nick has reminded me that the US FDA approval of ibrutinib is a nice thing there but has a long, long way to go to be accessible outside of a trial in many other places like the UK. I understand. But, that said, you might find of interest my blog about it as a step in the right direction: blog.patientpower.info/2014...

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

I have received a number of emails asking when Imbruvica (ibrutinib) will be available in Canada. The answer is unknown.

Like everything in CLL watch & wait ...

Health Canada must approve the drug first, upon a request of the manufacture or supplier, which could be a lengthy process and can involve more clinical trials, then recommendations are made to the provinces for funding. The recommendations are just that, and provinces are not required to fund any particular drug... cost matters in the approval process.

To learn how cancer drugs are approved and funded here is a good booklet on the topic.

pcodr.ca/idc/groups/pcodr/d...

Quebec has their own funding process, separate from the process outlined in this document...