The World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have commenced distribution of critically-needed childhood cancer medicines in 2 of 6 pilot countries, through the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines. Currently, these medicines are being delivered to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with next shipments planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia. The treatments are expected to reach approximately 5000 children with cancer across at least 30 hospitals in these countries within this year.
The Global Platform is a first initiative of its kind. Countries in the pilot phase will receive an uninterrupted supply of quality-assured childhood cancer medicines at no cost. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), childhood cancer survival rates are often below 30%, significantly lower than those in high-income countries. Six additional countries have been formally invited to join the platform.
The initiative is poised to become the largest, with the goal of reaching 50 nations in the next 5 to 7 years. It aims to eventually provide medicines for the treatment of approximately 120 000 children with cancer in LMICs, significantly reducing mortality rates.
“For too long, children with cancer have lacked access to life-saving medicines,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This unique partnership between WHO and St. Jude is working to provide quality-assured cancer medicines to paediatric hospitals in low-and middle-income countries. WHO is proud to be part of this joint initiative with St. Jude, bringing health and hope to children around the world.”
Every year, an estimated 400 000 children worldwide develop cancer. The majority of these children, living in resource-limited settings, are unable to consistently obtain or afford cancer medicines. It is estimated that 70% of the children from these settings die from cancer due to factors such as lack of appropriate treatment, treatment disruptions or low-quality medicines.
“A child’s chances of surviving cancer are largely determined by where they are born, making this one of the starkest disparities in global healthcare,” said James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. “St. Jude was founded on Danny Thomas’ dream that no child should die in the dawn of life. By developing this platform, we believe this dream can someday be achieved for children stricken by cancer, irrespective of where they live.”
St. Jude and WHO announced the platform in 2021 to ensure children around the world have access to lifesaving treatments. The platform brings together governments, the pharmaceutical industry and non-governmental organizations in a unique collaborative model focused on creating solutions for children with cancer. The co-design approach addresses the broader needs of national stakeholders, with a focus on capacity building and long-term sustainability.
The platform provides comprehensive end-to-end support, from consolidating global demand to shaping the market, assisting countries with medicine selection and developing treatment standards. It represents a transformative model for the broader global health community working together to tackle health challenges, in particular for children and noncommunicable diseases. To accomplish this, St. Jude and WHO partner with UNICEF Supply Division, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Strategic Fund.
WHO and St. Jude first collaborated in 2018, when St. Jude became the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Childhood Cancer and committed US$15 million for the creation of the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (Global Initiative). This initiative supports more than 70 governments in building and sustaining local cancer programs and aims to increase survival to 60% by 2030. The Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines (Global Platform) synergizes with the Global Initiative, with activities implemented through this new effort expected to contribute substantially to the achievement of the initiative’s goals. The Global Platform is part of the St. Jude Strategic Plan focused on accelerating progress on catastrophic childhood diseases on a global scale through the institution’s largest investment in research and patient care.
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