As many of you are aware, there has been a critical gap in care for people living with follicular lymphoma (FL) in Ontario, even after they have been successfully treated. Today, LC welcomes the Ontario government’s decision to fund Rituxan for the retreatment of follicular lymphoma (FL).
Until today, FL patients who received Rituxan plus chemotherapy when they were first diagnosed and who responded well to initial treatment were denied Rituxan following a relapse. The only option available to these patients was chemotherapy – an option not equivalent to the standard of care in the rest of the country. Now, there will be consistent access to Rituxan across the country for patients in this setting.
Barry Reznick, a 56-year old father of three, has been advocating for publicly-funded access to Rituxan by reaching out to government, media and others with his story. Since being diagnosed with FL in 2002, Barry and his family gave tirelessly to the cancer community, organizing numerous fundraisers and raising more than $130,000 for cancer research. But in his time of need, Barry was denied funding for this life-extending drug.
“I’m happy to know that in future, FL patients in Ontario will have access to the medicine they need,” said Barry. “Every patient’s focus should be on treatment and getting better, not fighting to get the right treatment.”
We thank our members and friends for their letters, words of support and tireless efforts to find a solution to the retreatment issue. For more information, please feel free to contact me at 1-866-659-5556 0r 905-858-5967 or via email at sue@lymphoma.ca.
Sincerely,
Sue Robson,
Executive Director
Lymphoma Canada
