Ontario Health recommends public funding of Hexaminulevulinate in bladder cancer – potential to enable broader access and potential funding in Canada

**August 2021 – Ontario Health, based on guidance from the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (OHTAC) issued a funding recommendation for enhanced visualization methods for 1st TURBT in suspected NMIBC and published it on their website this month. Based on the OHTAC health technology assessment, public funding is recommended for the use of Cysview® (Hexaminolevulinate) in 1st TURBT procedures.** The OHTAC health technology assessment report, the foundation of this decision, highlights the clinical and economic evidence available for the blue light cystoscopy (BLC®) procedure with Cysview as an adjunct to white light, recommending funding for it over other enhanced cystoscopy methods. The province of Ontario, where 40% of the Canadian population lives, is the first Canadian Province recommending public funding, leading the way for other Canadian provinces and territories. This positive development for the bladder cancer community in Ontario is a key step in the process towards the blue light cystoscopy (BLC®) procedure with Cysview being funded and made available by more institutions to more bladder cancer patients in Canada. From the OHTAC recommendation, the next steps in this process are expected to involve further review and funding decisions at regional and Health Team levels. The OHTAC decision to recommend public funding is further supported by a recent update of the Canadian CUA bladder cancer management guidelines, which recommend BLC with Cysview for 1st TURBT procedures when BLC equipment is available. This update was also published in August. Read the Ontario Health Recommendation here. Read the full OHTAC publication here. Read the CUA guidelines here. *TURBT: trans-urethral resection of bladder tumors