Pierre Audet-Lapointe, a doctor and President of the Coalition Priorité Cancer au Québec, criticized the Government of Quebec for rejecting eight vital cancer medication recommended by a patient advocacy group.

According to Dr. Lapointe, the authorities rejected drugs emphasizing its high price and ignoring its health benefits. The decision shows the Government treats money more important than life of the people. Dr. Lapointe further states that, "In the last few years, Quebec has gone from being one of the best provinces, in terms of covering new cancer drugs to one of the worst”.

In reference to allegations charged by Dr. Lapointe, Natacha Joncas Boudreau, Bolduc's media person, states that it is not the health minister who rejected the medicines, but the decision of excluding the medicines from list of Medicare has been taken by a panel of counselors and medical experts.

The medicines that have been refused to be enlisted in Medicare are Afinitor that treats advanced kidney cancer and Alimta, Tarceva and Iressa, helps in treating lung cancer. Other four drugs: Avastin for breast cancer; Herceptin for stomach cancer; Revlimid for myeloma; and Rituxan for chronic lymphoid leukemia have been discarded but final decision will be taken after completion of an analytical study.