Advocate Pushes for Speedier Access to Cancer Treatments in Canada

When John-Peter Bradford’s wife, Anne Bachinski-Bradford, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2013, he faced an urgent fight for her life. Given just a few weeks to live, Anne benefited from Bradford’s relentless advocacy, which secured her access to experimental treatments that extended her life by over a year. This experience ignited Bradford’s commitment to improving access to cancer therapies for others, leading to the establishment of the Ottawa-based Life-Saving Therapies Network.

Bradford, a cancer survivor himself, dedicated himself entirely to securing treatment options for his wife. Thanks to his efforts, Anne lived long enough to witness their daughter’s wedding. “It became my full-time job. It was all I did,” Bradford recalls. Before her passing, Anne expressed concern that her husband’s advocacy should benefit a broader group of patients. Inspired by her words, Bradford partnered with Dr. David Stewart, her oncologist, to push for faster access to critical treatments for patients suffering from lethal diseases such as cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Dr. Stewart has been a vocal advocate for reforming Canada’s treatment approval processes. In his 2022 book, “Why Cancer Still Sucks, and So Does Access to Treatment in Canada,” he highlights how a “procedural and regulatory swamp” hinders timely access to new therapies. Stewart emphasizes that many patients could benefit from treatments that are currently unavailable in Canada. “We have all these great new drugs that we can’t access. It is very frustrating,” he states.

The issue has garnered attention from various stakeholders, including politicians. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in his capacity as head of the Council of the Federation, has advocated for expedited drug approvals. “We owe it to Canadians to do everything we can to give them the same timely access to life-changing treatments as patients in the rest of the world,” he said in 2024.

During the most recent federal election, the Liberal Party pledged to significantly reduce wait times for life-saving medications. Bradford argues that the time for action is now, as Canada currently ranks last among G7 countries in terms of access to new drugs. The lengthy approval process often includes multiple reviews and provincial funding decisions that can extend delays by years.

Dr. Stewart points out that the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates that medical advancements can occur quickly when urgency is prioritized. Cancer accounts for approximately 30 percent of all deaths in Canada, highlighting the need for a similar sense of urgency in addressing treatment access. “The same approach taken towards COVID-19 must be applied to cancer,” he asserts.

The Life-Saving Therapies Network advocates for simplified regulatory oversight of clinical research in lethal diseases. It argues that current regulations are cumbersome, costly, and inefficient. The delays caused by these regulations prevent many Canadians from accessing effective new treatments that could save or extend lives, reduce healthcare costs, and alleviate suffering.

Among its proposals, the organization seeks to allow patients with lethal diseases to access promising drugs before the completion of clinical trials, provided that these treatments have demonstrated safety and efficacy in preliminary tests. Additionally, it aims to shorten the current waiting period of over two years between Health Canada’s approval and patient access to treatments.

“This is an unacceptably long and cruel delay. Every hour matters when someone has a lethal disease or suffers from a debilitating condition,” Bradford insists.

For Anne Bachinski-Bradford, the special access to treatments allowed her to spend nearly 16 additional months with her family. Bradford describes this period as a “simple, happy life,” underscoring the profound impact that timely access to treatment can have on patients and their loved ones.