By Khalifa Hemed
Published July 4, 2020
Some 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are expected to make an estimated 59 percent savings on cancer medicines.
This follows an agreements between the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Novartis and Mylan to expand access to 20 lifesaving cancer treatment. The savings will be made only if the medicine is purchased through the agreements.
“With the rapidly growing burden of cancer in Africa, it is crucial that we improve and expand access to high-quality, affordable treatment. These agreements build on those announced in 2017 that have already delivered substantial savings and increased treatment availability in several countries, including Nigeria. By targeting the treatment needed for the cancers that cause the most deaths, these new agreements will help us to improve on quality of lives and close the mortality gap for Africans with cancer,” says Professor Isaac Adewole, co-chair of African Cancer Coalition and former Health Minister of Nigeria.
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Medications included in the agreements cover recommended regimens for 27 types of cancer and enable complete chemotherapy regimens for the three cancers that cause the most deaths in Africa; breast, cervical, and prostate. These cancers are highly treatable and account for 38 percent of cancers in the countries covered in the agreements. The new agreements include both chemotherapies and endocrine therapies aligned to evidence-based guidelines harmonised for sub-Saharan Africa, and expand access to additional formulations, including those essential for treating childhood cancer.
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Sub-Saharan Africa’s cancer burden is significant and growing. In 2018, there were an estimated 811,000 new cases of cancer and 534,000 deaths from cancer in the region. Cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa are twice as likely to die as those in the United States, often due to late diagnosis and lack of access to treatment. Based on population aging alone, annual cancer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are projected to almost double by 2030. The new agreements cover 74 percent of the annual cancer cases.
The agreements are expected to expand access to the priority medications and formulations to additional countries. All of the medications included in the agreements meet the quality standards set by a stringent regulatory authority such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). These medicines will be available for purchase at newly and independently negotiated prices in the designated countries, and the companies have committed to monitoring the impact of their respective agreements with CHAI.