We are deeply disappointed by this outcome and stand with patients with ovarian cancer as they face the loss of access to a critically needed treatment option.
On May 14, 2026, the status of negotiations for ELAHERE (mirvetuximab soravtansine) between the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) and AbbVie, the drug’s manufacturer, was updated to concluded without agreement. The termination of the process means that Canadians undergoing ovarian cancer treatment will not be provided with access to ELAHERE through public drug programs. After years of advocacy by Ovarian Cancer Canada and our community, and decades without new treatments to improve survival outcomes, this result is a devastating and unacceptable outcome. Canadians must have access to life-extending targeted treatments as quickly as possible.
“Health Canada’s approval of ELAHERE in 2025 offered women diagnosed with ovarian cancer hope of a new treatment that could extend their lifespan. The end of ELAHERE negotiations has damaged that hope,” stated Tania Vrionis, CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada. “After decades without a new ovarian cancer treatment, having ELAHERE available and accessible to Canadians would have been a critically needed update to their care. It is unacceptable for a new treatment to be available and withhold it from those who need it most. We’re encouraging all stakeholders to return to the table and restart negotiations to make ELAHERE available to Canadians.”
Ovarian Cancer Canada remains committed to demanding action for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
We will continue to advocate for innovative treatments to be available in Canada as quickly as possible.
After generations of women being overlooked, the Health Canada approval of ELAHERE and positive reimbursement recommendation from Canada’s Drug Agency in Fall 2025 was meaningful progress to transform the lives of those diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That progress was fragile and today’s decision to end the discussions has fundamentally damaged it.
We will continue to monitor and report on the process to make ELAHERE available to Canadians.
ELAHERE is a treatment that has been shown to improve overall survival for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer happens when platinum-based chemotherapy is not effective at treating ovarian cancer cells. ELAHERE has shown it can more effectively treat these cancer cells.
The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) is a cross-country organization that negotiates the pricing of a drug with the manufacturer on behalf of provincial, territorial, and federal public drug plans to purchase drugs available through public health programs at better costs.
Ovarian Cancer Canada has been advocating for ELAHERE’s approval since 2022. During that time, we have advocated on behalf of our community with government bodies and AbbVie, the manufacturer, to urge timely access for Canadians. This includes sharing patient and caregiver perspectives with Canada’s Drug Agency and INESSS (drug access agency in Quebec) and urging stakeholders to increase the speed of negotiations. We will continue to monitor and report on the process to make ELAHERE available to Canadians.