Ability and willingness to scale access initiatives will dictate the future of cancer in developing countries

Joseph Saba, chief executive of Axios International, a healthcare organization specialized in access in developing countries, writes an exclusive Special Report for The Pharma Letter.

Amid increasing pressure on the pharmaceutical industries’ pricing practices, in November the Access to Medicines Foundation published its bi-annual index of pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to improve access to medicines in 106 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

For the first time, cancer products are included in the assessment. The addition is a much needed one given that company portfolios and pipelines are heavily focused on cancer and 70% of cancer deaths occur in LMICs where most patients cannot afford such treatments.

But that is not the only reason why the inclusion is notable.

The latest index shows a largely overdue, but welcome progression in how companies view access to medicines. It is no longer only about infectious diseases and free drugs for the poorest, but also about making specialized, often costly medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like cancer, available to the greatest number of people.

Billions left behind in cancer care