Cancer is a growing problem in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 70% of cancer deaths are already in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
WHO has 83 effective cancer medicines on its global Essential Medicines List. But patients in Africa have serious trouble getting access to them.
Pharmaceutical companies ignore their Human Rights’ responsibilities to make essential cancer medicines available to patients. They do not always register their cancer medicines in LMICs, and if they do, the prices are often unaffordable. Sometimes Access programmes can help, but the best solution would to that pharma companies license their innovative products to the Medicines Patent Pool, so that generic companies can make them available at affordable prices.
In the Netherlands, cancer medicines are often excessively priced: this is now even causing cancer patients not accessing cancer medication as the Ministry of Health is refusing reimbursement due to poor cost-effectiveness. At the same time pharma companies are increasingly refusing to make the medicines available to patients on compassionate grounds.
PAF’s new project, the Fair Pharma Cancer Scorecard, aims to monitor the practices of pharmaceutical companies in their registering, marketing and pricing essential cancer medicines in the Netherlands and Africa using human rights criteria.
In a multidisciplinary team you will analyze the health, legal, human rights, and policy aspects of unequal access to essential cancer medicines in high- versus middle- and low-income countries. You will study the registration, marketing and pricing of essential cancer medicines in Netherlands and selected African countries by pharmaceutical companies, and establish a database of findings. You will consult essential medicines, cancer policy and human rights documents, and interview stakeholders (pharmaceutical companies, cancer organizations’, NGOs, Health Ministry or Drug Regulatory Agencies, and independent consultants in the field of public health, human rights or private sector). The Foundation will offer access to available data, ideas and opportunities to discuss the project with its staff.
Come and help us fight the inequitable access to essential cancer medicines!
