Shannon Lipskey, 36, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer two years and underwent surgery to remove much of her liver and one lung after the cancer spread. Today, the London, Ontario, mom is cancer free and wants to remain that way. So she hopes Erbitux will help, but because of a squabble beween the drugmaker and Canadian agencies over the cost of the medication, she must travel to Buffalo, NY, to receive treatment.

The cancer med cost is expected to cost them $10,000 a month. And the cost of other meds will bring her treatment to $200,000 to $250,000. But the Lipskeys expect they’ll be reimbursed only about $180,000 because of costs not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. The OHIP will pay for Erbitux for some patients who travel to the US, but not if it’s given here. Why?

A Health Ministry spokesperson tells The London Free Press that Bristol-Myers Squibb could apply for coverage under Ontario’s new drug program. If approved, OHIP would then pay for the treatments given in Canada. But the drugmaker hasn’t applied and a spokesman, Marc Osborne, tells the paper that won’t happen because of a dispute over cost with Canada’s patent medicine reimbursement board, which sets prices.

“They set a price that we could not commit to,” he says. “To continue developing innovative medicines requires a long-term commitment to research and development.” But the drugmaker will continue supplying Erbitux to patients enrolled in clinical trials.

Brian Dingle, chief of oncology and senior medical director at the London Regional Cancer Program, says the government can’t afford to pay for all the new cancer drugs. Add up the colon cancer cases across Canada each year and the annual bill would be about $300 million. “We are talking about a huge expense for a small number of patients. The country can’t afford it,” Dingle tells the paper. “If there were clear evidence these drugs cured patients, it would be a completely different story. I do believe then the ministry would take a careful look at paying for such drugs.”