Navigating Toward More Equitable Drug Access
October 23, 2025
Sossy Meguerdij and AQCAMO are supporting drug access navigators in their efforts to get oncology patients the treatments they need.
Drug Access Navigators (DAN) play an important part in equitable access to medications by cutting through the reimbursement red tape when other HCPs might not have the time, so patients can access medications as quickly as possible and at the lowest possible cost. Unfortunately, not all centres have a dedicated DAN, and there’s no standardized training or credential.6
That’s a gap that Sossy Meguerdij, Founder and President of AQCAMO (Association québécoise des coordonnateurs d’accès aux médicaments en oncologie) was eager to fill. After practicing in radiation oncology in her native Lebanon for more than a decade, she became an Assistant Pharmacist at Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, where she helped create the DAN role. We spoke with her about the challenges DANs face, how AQCAMO is supporting them, and her hopes for the future.
Who is performing the DAN role in Quebec?
In Quebec, DAN is not a formally recognized position. A lot of DANs – like myself – are employed as pharmacy technicians, but we do drug navigation as our full-time job. In other centres, that role is filled, often part-time, by assistant pharmacists, administrative personnel, pharmacists, or pivot nurses. In some centres, the oncologist has to do it because there's no one to help them.
How did you start AQCAMO, and where has it gone since then?
I knew there was an association for DANs in Ontario, and they were generous enough to invite me to their congress in 2018. When I saw all their initiatives and how they were helping DANs and patients, I wanted to create something similar in Quebec.
We launched AQCAMO in 2020, and I never imagined that it would grow so fast and so much. I expected that we would maybe get 20 members, and we have 125 members, so that shows that there was a need and an appreciation for this role.
What are some AQCAMO initiatives that you’re proud of?
For our members, we offer links to patient support program enrollment forms and information about how to access every available oncology medication. We also provide technical and scientific education – last year, an expert panel of 7 DANs and two oncology pharmacists created 12 chapters for educating a DAN from A to Z. We launched the program at our 2024 Congress, and it’s available to members through our website.
This year, we conducted workshops in four of the far regions of Quebec, where the DAN job is usually done by nurses. We provided information on the available tools and how they can be used, and we discussed real-life cases of difficult access and how those can be dealt with.
Where would you like to see the DAN role go from here?
It would be wonderful if DANs could get officially recognized in Quebec and other provinces. We know that this role is very appreciated by the patients, the oncologists, and the whole team, so having it formally recognized would be a big step toward appreciating what DANs do.
Our members often get in touch with us for advice about specific patient access scenarios, and it’s essential that there’s a place where they can get answers to those questions. Maybe one day there will be more formal education, like a college program, but until then, this informal communication among the community is essential and precious.
I have a dream of having a DAN in every oncology centre who is dedicated to making patients’ lives easier. It’s one of the worst things for a patient – that day when their oncologist gives them the “sentence” of cancer. So, at least we can take the problem of medication access off their plate, so they can concentrate on their disease and their health. At some point, maybe I will be a patient, you will be a patient, or someone we love will be the patient. So what kind of support would you like them to have?
“At some point maybe I will be a patient, you will be a patient, or someone we love will be the patient. So what kind of support would you like them to have?”
Sossy Meguerdij, President, AQCAMO
What advice do you have for clinicians and administrators about how to approach drug access for patients?
In cases where accessing a particular medication is complicated, especially when it's prescribed for off-label indications, oncologists may struggle to secure it without the support of a drug access navigator.
Due to time constraints, they might resort to treatments that are more readily available, even if those options, such as traditional chemotherapy, are less effective than newer, targeted therapies.
This highlights the critical need for drug access navigation to ensure patients receive the most effective treatment possible and have the best chance at a successful outcome.
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