WHO, St. Jude, PAHO launch groundbreaking international delivery of childhood cancer medicines – PAHO/WHO
Ecuador will be among the first countries to receive a shipment
February 11, 2025, Geneva / Memphis-The World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children , through the global platform for access to children’s cancer medicines. Currently, these medications are delivered to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with the next shipments planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia. Treatments are expected to reach approximately 5000 children with cancer in at least 30 hospitals in these countries within this year.
The global platform is a first initiative of this type. The countries of the pilot phase will receive an uninterrupted supply of medicines for children’s safe cancer at no cost at no cost. In low and medium -income countries (LMIC), childhood cancer survival rates are often less than 30%, significantly lower than those in high -income countries. Six additional countries have been formally invited to join the platform.
The initiative is prepared to become the largest, with the aim of reaching 50 nations in the next 5 to 7 years. Its objective is eventually providing medications for the treatment of approximately 120,000 children with LMIC cancer, significantly reducing mortality rates.
«For too long, children with cancer lacked access to medicines to save lives,» said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, general director. “This unique association between WHO and St. Jude is working to provide quality security cancer to pediatric hospitals in low and medium -sized countries. Who is proud to be part of this joint initiative with St. Jude, providing health and hope for children around the world. «
Every year, it is estimated that 400,000 children worldwide develop cancer. Most of these children, who live in limited resources environments, cannot consistently obtain or pay cancer medications. It is estimated that 70% of the children of these environments die from cancer due to factors such as lack of appropriate treatment, treatment or low quality medications.
«The chances of a child to survive cancer are largely determined where they are born, which makes this one of the most marked disparities in global medical care,» said James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. «Calle. Jude was founded on Danny Thomas’s dream that no child should die at the dawn of life. When developing this platform, we believe that this dream can one day be achieved for children affected by cancer, regardless of where Long live. «
Childhood cancer in the Americas
The disparity in access to treatment for childhood cancers is particularly worrying in Latin America and the Caribbean, where around 30,000 children and adolescents under 19 will be diagnosed with cancer every year. Of these, almost 10,000 will die from the disease. In North America, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, but in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, this rate falls to around 55%, mainly due to the challenges of the health system, including access limited to affordable and quality assured medications.
St. Jude and who announced the platform in 2021 to ensure that children around the world have access to treatments to save lives. 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 Codiseño approach addresses the broader needs of national stakeholders, with an approach to the development of capacities and long -term sustainability.
Ecuador is the first country in the Americas to receive essential medicines for cancer children through Paho’s strategic fund, and shipments are expected to arrive in February. In preparation, Ecuador has achieved remarkable progress in pediatric oncology through the introduction of pediatric formulations, harmonizing treatment protocols, improving the quantification and strengthening of storage and distribution in 13 hospitals equipped with dedicated oncology units. El Salvador will be included on the platform at the end of this year.
«The arrival of the medicines platform in Ecuador will help improve access to treatments that save life and strengthen pediatric oncology,» said Dr. Anselm Hennis, director of Non -Communicable Diseases and Mental Health in the Pan American Health Organization (Paho ). «Expanding the platform to El Salvador will extend regional efforts to guarantee equitable access to childhood cancer medicines,» he added.
Beyond the platform, Paho’s strategic fund plays a key role not only in the acquisition of medicines for countries that participate in the platform, but also in guaranteeing affordable access to essential cancer treatments throughout the region. Interprogrammatic efforts include the introduction of pediatric formulations, harmonizing treatment protocols, improving quantification and strengthening storage and distribution, reinforcing the commitment of the fund to expand access to health technologies that save life.
The platform provides comprehensive end -to -end support, from consolidating the global demand to shape the market, helping countries with medication selection and developing treatment standards. It represents a transforming model for the broader global health community that works together to address health challenges, particularly for children and non -communicable diseases. To achieve this, St. Jude and those who are associated with UNICEF Supply Division, and the Strategic Fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
