New Program Launches to Fight Childhood Cancer Worldwide
The Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines aims to provide an uninterrupted supply of high-quality childhood cancer medicines to resource-limited countries.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines. This program will help children in low- and middle-income countries get the quality cancer medicines they need but often cannot find.
About 400,000 children worldwide develop cancer each year. Most live in low- and middle-income countries where less than 30% (1 out of 3) of children with cancer survive. In high-income countries, about 4 in 5 (80%) survive their cancer. This survival gap is often caused by a lack of access to essential cancer medicines. About 100,000 children die from cancer each year because they cannot get these medicines.
What this platform does
The Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines aims to provide an uninterrupted supply of high-quality childhood cancer medicines to resource-limited countries. The program works with governments, cancer centers, and organizations to make sure the medicines reach the children who need them most.
The platform is distributing cancer medicines in Mongolia and Uzbekistan. Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia will soon receive medicines, too. Ultimately, the platform aims to serve 120,000 children in 50 countries.
“St. Jude was founded to fight childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” says James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. “Now, with WHO and our partners, we’re further advancing that mission to make sure children can get safe cancer medicines no matter where they live.”
The program will forecast what medicines each country needs and make sure they are distributed properly. This will help health care providers offer better care and give children a better chance of survival.
Ecuador, Jordan, Mongolia, Nepal, Uzbekistan, and Zambia are the first countries to benefit from the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines.
A major investment in saving lives
St. Jude is spending $200 million over 6 years for this platform. The medicines will be provided at no cost to the countries and families receiving them. It is the largest known investment in childhood cancer medicines for low- and middle-income countries.
“Health care providers must have access to a reliable source of cancer medicines that constitutes the current standard of care,” says Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, St. Jude executive vice president and director of St. Jude Global. “We at St. Jude, with our co-founding partners at WHO and many vital partners around the world, can help achieve that.”
This program is part of the St. Jude Strategic Plan 2022–27 focus on improving global access to care for children with cancer. With this launch, St. Jude and WHO take a huge step forward in the fight against childhood cancer worldwide.
