title: Access to cancer drugs in Canada: looking beyond coverage decisions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine variation in patients' access to a set of cancer drugs through publicly funded provincial drug programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed provincial drug program managers about their highest-expenditure intravenous and oral cancer drugs. We then investigated whether the same cancer drugs account for the highest expenditures across the provincial programs. We also compared the rates at which these drugs are accessed through these programs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While there is moderate consistency in the selection of cancer drugs that account for the highest provincial expenditures, considerable differences were found in the rates at which some drugs are accessed across provincial programs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates the existence of interprovincial variation in publicly funded access to cancer drugs even after these drugs have been approved for public coverage.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chafe
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Culyer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dobrow
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Coyte
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sawka
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laing
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trudeau
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hoch
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: Terrence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sullivan