• The World Health Organisation (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have commenced distribution of critically-needed childhood cancer medicines in Uzbekistan and Mongolia, through the ‘Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines’.

• Four other countries that are part of the pilot phase are Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia. Within days, El Salvador, Moldova, Senegal, Pakistan, Ghana and Sri Lanka will join the programme too.

What is the significance of this global platform?

• Around 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year and most of them live in low-income countries where medicines are either unaffordable or unavailable, resulting in an overwhelming 70 per cent death rate.

• The majority of these children, living in resource-limited settings, are unable to consistently obtain or afford cancer medicines. It is estimated that 70 per cent of the children from these settings die from cancer due to factors such as lack of appropriate treatment, treatment disruptions or low-quality medicines.

• This is in stark contrast to high-income countries, where survival rates exceed 80 per cent.

• The needs of a child suffering from cancer are complex and demanding, ranging from qualified professionals to pharmaceutical companies and communities that are ready to support a family through the traumatic process of diagnosis.

• An effective market for childhood cancer medicines is constrained by complex, interrelated systemic factors, resulting in market fragmentation, lack of availability of essential medicines, low-quality products, and high purchasing costs.

• A number of initiatives for improving access to cancer medicines have been developed over the past decade.

• 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 organisations 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.

• Countries in the pilot phase will receive an uninterrupted supply of quality-assured childhood cancer medicines at no cost. 

• The WHO’s goal – working with leading US paediatric facility St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – is to reach 50 countries where needs are greatest, providing medicines to treat 120,000 children with cancer in the next five to seven years.

• 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 non-communicable diseases.

• The initiative also draws on the experience of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Pan American Health Organisation Strategic Fund, which procure and distribute the medicines.

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