Petition urges Nova Scotia to fund Avastin

Presented with a 2,200-signature petition Wednesday, Health Minister Chris d'Entremont said "public opinion" would be a factor in his final decision whether to cover a costly cancer drug.

The petition calls on the province to pay for Avastin, a drugused to treat colorectal cancer.

"I was very happy to be able to hand it to him personally and he seemed very open to receiving it," said Denyse Hockley, who launched the petition last month in support of a woman battling the disease.

Hockley said there are about 100 Nova Scotians who could benefit from Avastin, which the province has previously said it would not cover.

The drug works by stopping the blood supply to cancerous tumours, extending the lives of some patients by about five months. It was approved by Health Canada in 2005.

A 16-member provincial committee reviewing cancer drugs found Avastin costs about $3,000 a month per patient, and concluded it was too expensive to include in the provincial health plan.

But that committee is meeting again this week to review the issue.

Hockley is hoping to sway both the group and d'Entremont, who told her public opinion would weigh heavily on his final decision.

"I'm really hoping that will make a difference," she said.

Hockley, from Lower Sackville,said she was moved when she reada newspaperstory about Judee Young, a mother who cannot afford to pay for Avastin treatments herself.

Thedrugis covered in British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.