Nigeria and 25 other Countries will enjoy access to 20 lifesaving cancer treatments based on new agreements reached with the American Cancer Society, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and some pharmaceutical companies.
The other benefiting countries include; Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as Vietnam, India and Myanmar.
Nigeria’s former Minister of Health and Co-chair, African Cancer Coalition, Professor Isaac Adewole, said improving and expanding access to high-quality and affordable treatment was needed to rapidly address the growing burden of cancer in Africa.
He said by targeting treatment needed for cancers that cause the most deaths, the new agreements would help to improve quality of lives and close the mortality gap for Africans with cancer.
The Former Minister was of the view that medications included in the agreements cover recommended regimens for 27 types of cancer and enable complete chemotherapy regimens for the three cancers that cause the most deaths in Africa, these are; breast, cervical ,and prostate.
According to Professor Adewole, the new agreement include both chemo-therapies and endocrine therapies aligned to evidence-based guidelines harmonized for sub-Saharan Africa, and expand access to additional formulations, including those essential for treating childhood cancer.