See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source

A rising young hockey player lost his life just days after Health Canada finally gave the green light to a treatment that might have helped him beat the cancer that ultimately led to his death at age 23.

JAY GOLDBERG: Canada’s drug review process continues to fail patients Back to video

Evan Armit, from Dryden, Ont., was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, a dangerous and very aggressive form of cancer. His only hope of fighting the disease was through what is known as TIL therapy, a cutting-edge treatment already approved south of the border. Unfortunately for Armit, that same therapy was still under review in Canada when he needed it. Sadly, this is a regular occurrence in Canada. It often takes years after drugs are approved in the United States for them to be approved by Health Canada and then become reimbursable at the provincial level.

In Ontario, OHIP has an out-of-country coverage program that allows patients to go elsewhere, often to the United........

© Edmonton Sun