Access to innovative drugs: Quebec patients could save nine months of waiting if the provincial government took inspiration from Ontario

• It typically takes 8.5 months between the recognition of the therapeutic value of a drug and the conclusion of price negotiations.

Montreal, August 4, 2026 – The Quebec government should take inspiration from Ontario’s FAST program in order to accelerate Quebec patients’ access to innovative drugs, argues a new MEI Viewpoint published this morning.

“For many patients, having access to the right drug at the right time can be the difference between life and death,” says Emmanuelle B. Faubert, economist at the MEI and author of the publication. “Ontario has understood this in making innovative cancer drugs accessible on a temporary basis while price negotiations are ongoing.”

Launched last October by the Ontario government, the Funding Accelerated for Specific Treatments (FAST) program is a pilot project allowing patients to access innovative cancer drugs that are part of the Orbis project.

These are drugs approved by Health Canada, whose therapeutic value is recognized by the Canada Drug Agency, but for which wholesale price negotiations between manufacturers and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) are ongoing.

According to a 2025 study, it typically takes the pCPA 128 days to decide whether to start price negotiations, once the therapeutic value of a drug is recognized by the proper authorities. It takes another 131 days to conclude those negotiations.

This represents a wait of 8.5 months for negotiations, after which the public health insurance plans decide if they will cover these treatments or not.

The FAST program allows Ontario patients to have access to certain drugs while the negotiating process is happening.

Faster drug availability

To begin with, six treatments benefited from this fast-tracking.

For example, only 17 days elapsed between the recognition of the therapeutic value of Scemblix for treating a certain kind of leukemia and its coverage by the FAST program. This drug is available for this use since November 7, 2025 in Ontario. It is still not available in the rest of the country.

The story is similar for a combined treatment of Opdivo and Yervoy, used to treat a type of liver cancer, for Calquence, used to treat a type of leukemia, and for Braftovi, used to treat a type of colorectal cancer.

The program also includes protection for patients in case price negotiations should fail. In such a case, the pharmaceutical company would be required to continue treating patients already on the drug in question, at no cost, which reduces the financial risk for the province.

“By sharing the financial risk in this way, Ontario has found a winning formula for all parties, and especially for patients, who can receive cutting-edge treatments,” says Ms. Faubert.

Quebec could easily follow suit

The researcher recommends that the Quebec government take inspiration from this Ontario program by starting to provide temporary coverage following a positive recommendation from the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS), the Quebec body entrusted with evaluating the therapeutic value of drugs.

She also recommends the adoption of an expanded version of the program, without limiting it just to cancer drugs.

“Sick patients should not be deprived of the treatment they need simply because price negotiations are ongoing,” insists Ms. Faubert. “This is true whether we’re talking about treatments for cancer or those used to treat any other disease.”

Quicker access to innovative treatments would not only benefit patients, but also the healthcare system as a whole. A treatment received sooner reduces the risks of complications and hospitalization, and ultimately reduces costs for the health system.

“With such a program, the government could allow Quebecers to receive the treatments they need several months earlier,” concludes Ms. Faubert. “All that’s needed right now is a bit of political will.”

You can read the MEI Viewpoint by clicking here.

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The MEI is an independent public policy think tank with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary. Through its publications, media appearances, and advisory services to policymakers, the MEI stimulates public policy debate and reforms based on sound economics and entrepreneurship.

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