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Two new cancer medications have been approved for use in Saskatchewan.
The provincial government announced the expansion of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency’s oncology drug formulary in a new release this week, adding the drugs Capivasertib and Relugolix — which are used to treat breast and prostate cancer — while also approving 13 new uses for drugs that are already being used in the province.
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The new drugs will be available to patients later this spring, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said in the statement, and will benefit more than 450 residents of the province who are going through cancer treatment.
“When new treatments are available and proven to be effective, we want to make them accessible to Saskatchewan residents,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in the release.
“We have increased funding for cancer care and treatment because we want patients to get the best possible care when they need it.”
The new approvals mean more options are now available to treat a variety of cancers, the ministry noted, including leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
“Adding these new drugs to the formulary ensures we continue to give the best treatment possible to our patients, providing more treatment options for our patients,” Deb Bulych, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, added in a statement.
According to the ministry, the recently tabled provincial budget provided $279 million to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, an increase of 12.2 per cent over the previous year.
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