University of Guelph economics professor Brian Ferguson will be part of an expert panel Wednesday that will discuss a new approach to pricing cancer treatments. The approach is explored in a white paper co-authored by Ferguson and IHPM&E associate professor – and University of Guelph economics alumna - Audrey Laporte called “Changing the Way We Think About Drug Prices: Insights From Economics.”

Co-sponsored by Novartis Oncology Canada in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation (IHPM&E) as well as the Canadian Centre for Health Economics (CCHE), the paper responds to the increased importance of personalized medicine and the shift from traditional chemical drugs to biologics, which has made the way people pay for new cancer treatments more complex. Ferguson and Laporte suggest that medication should not be paid for on a per unit basis; the payment structure should resemble that of electricity, which covers the cost of services provided by the production sector.

In addition to Ferguson and Laporte, participants will also include Finn Doyle, General Manager of Novartis Oncology, Dr. Steinni Brown from the IHPM&E and Louise Binder from the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network.

Event details

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM
Location: MaRS Discovery District, 101 College St, Toronto (MPR room)

Panel Information

Host & White Paper Sponsor:  Novartis Oncology
Moderator: Dr. Zayna Khayat (MaRS)
Speakers: Dr. Audrey Laporte (IHPM&E and CCHE), Dr. Brian Ferguson (University of Guelph), Ms. Finn Doyle (GM, Novartis Oncology)
Panelists: Dr. Steinni Brown (IHPM&E), Louise Binder (Canadian Cancer Survivor Network)