ATLANTA: The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) today announced the expansion of the Cancer Access Partnership (CAP) to further increase access to lifesaving cancer treatments in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. The announcement was made alongside the launch of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new Global Breast Cancer Initiative which aims to bring together partners to reduce global breast cancer mortality by 2.5 percent per year, thereby averting 2.5 million breast cancer deaths globally between 2020 and 2040.

Biocon Biologics Limited will join the growing list of companies in the CAP which currently includes Novartis, Pfizer, and Viatris. This expanded partnership will make 26 medications in 39 formulations affordably available to low- and middle-income countries across Africa and Asia, including key chemotherapies, hormonal therapies, biologics, and supportive therapies essential for the treatment of 30 cancers, including breast cancer. The agreements will provide access to 25 regimens for the treatment of breast cancer— which is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally—and has the potential to generate an expected overall savings of 60 percent on purchased medications for governments.

“This expanded partnership takes us another step closer to ensuring that the same cancer treatments are available to patients no matter where they live,” stated Dr. Iain Barton, CEO of CHAI.

“Every person with cancer deserves affordable treatment that meets the high quality standards set by a stringent regulatory authority and these new agreements will make that possible for many people in Africa and Asia” said Dr. Bill Cance, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society. 

The addition of Biocon Biologics to the partnership, along with an expanded portfolio of biosimilars from Pfizer, will enable access to best-in-class therapies that are currently out of reach for patients in low- and middle-income countries. The agreements will now enable access to high quality trastuzumab, rituximab, and pegfilgrastim biosimilars in addition to previously available biosimilar filgrastim from Novartis.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon Biologics said, “We are pleased to collaborate with CHAI and ACS for their Cancer Access Partnership (CAP) for patients in Sub- Saharan Africa & Asia. Biocon Biologics is committed to expand access to affordable biologics in LMICs through strategic partnerships with global health organizations. Through CAP, our products will support the global efforts directed at expanding therapy options available to healthcare systems in several Asian and African countries for advancing the fight against cancer. This partnership further strengthens our resolve to address the unmet patient needs for high quality, affordable biosimilars for cancer, like bTrastuzumab and bPegfilgrastim.”