The Ontario government announced on January 22, 2026, that it is approving access to six new life-extending cancer treatments through the Funding Accelerated for Specific Treatments (FAST) program.
This first-in-Canada initiative is fast-tracking access to breakthrough cancer drugs, giving patients in need faster access to life-changing treatment options. This bold initiative will continue to connect patients to life-saving cancer treatments almost a full year sooner, as part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system.
“For every Ontarian facing a cancer diagnosis, timely access to high-quality treatment can make all the difference,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through the FAST program, we’re accelerating access to life-saving therapies across the province, bringing hope, peace of mind, and transformative care to those who need it most.”
Since October 2025, six cancer drugs have now been accelerated for funding through the FAST pilot, giving cancer patients access to the following life-saving treatments:
- TAGRISSO: Used to treat lung cancer
- SCEMBLIX: Used to treat a type of leukemia
- NUBEQA: Used to treat prostate cancer
- CALQUENCE: Used to treat lymphoma
- OPDIVO with YERVOY: Combination therapy used to treat a type of colorectal cancer
- OPDIVO with YERVOY: Combination therapy used to treat a type of liver cancer
Building on this momentum, Ontario expects to fast-track additional cancer drug approvals in the coming months. Canadian patients currently wait nearly two years to access new publicly funded medicines – a full year longer than patients in other developed countries. The FAST program accelerates this process by expediting access to seven to ten high-priority cancer drugs every year, helping Ontario patients receive publicly funded treatments up to one year sooner.
FAST prioritizes medicines approved through Project Orbis, an international initiative that fast-tracks regulatory review for promising cancer therapies. This innovative approach puts patients first and ensures they can receive timely access to the life-changing treatments they need. By removing unnecessary delays, Ontario is leading the way in rethinking how cancer care can be delivered, here in Ontario and across the world.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the province says it continues to modernize the health-care system and expand access to critical services.
From the Ontario government
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I could not get an immunotherapy drug that showed positive feedback but was not yet approved in Ontario. I was lucky that my oncologist found a compassionate program through Merck to fund the treatment (approx $20,000.00 per session x 28 sessions. It saved my life. That drug is now covered under Provincial health care. “They” do listen, but patients need to advocate for themselves. It’s not easy when you are so very sick.
Two years for drugs already approved in other developing countries? Now it will be a one year delay. This is still unacceptable. What are they doing for a year? With AI all this can be speeded up. How about 90 days and not just 7-10 drugs. What about the rest.
I have investigated a vaccine the M140 available in Europe for ten years that is super effective in men and women against certain repeat bacterial infections such as Ecoli. Think UTI Etc. The results are amazing and virtually replace antibiotics which means that the bacteria strains don’t become antibiotic resistant. No side effects. Not available in Canada because the government is still reviewing ‘manufacturing practices’. And it will be only available for women. This is unacceptable.
If our politicians had a treatable cancer I’m sure that the process would shrink to a week.