B.C. man calls on federal, provincial governments to cover his costly, life-saving cancer treatment [Video]

After battling advanced prostate cancer for a decade, Jim Larson said his doctor recommended he try a new treatment.

Pluvicto is the brand name for a treatment that kills cancer cells with the radioactive isotope lutetium-177.

Pharmaceutical company Novartis offers the treatment at $27,000 per dose — putting the average five-dose treatment at $135,000.

“I was all ready to go. We were excited,” he said. “But there’s no money now to pay for the drug from the government. And without that, it’s not going to go anywhere.”

Earlier this month, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) — which negotiates drug prices for provincial, territorial and federal public health plans — ended talks with Novartis, even though the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health recommends provinces cover Pluvicto treatments.

Now, hundreds of eligible patients will need to pay thousands of dollars to access the treatment. Larson is calling for pCPA …