Survival Outcomes for US and Canadian Patients Diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma before and after Brentuximab Vedotin Approval for Relapsed/Refractory Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Insurance status impacts access and survival for cancer patients within mixed healthcare systems, such as the US (Walker et al., 2014). Universal healthcare, as in Canada, provides broad coverage, though new drug funding is delayed for financial evaluations given escalating costs of oncologic therapies. Brentuximab Vedotin (BV) was the first FDA approved medication (2011) for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) since 1977, with a 75% response …