Quito, Ecuador, February 17, 2025 - Ecuador's Ministry of Health today announced the arrival of the first batch of essential childhood cancer medicines delivered through the international efforts of the Global Platform for Access to Medicines for Childhood Cancer, a partnership between St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (St Jude), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). This collaboration guarantees Ecuador an uninterrupted supply of quality medicines for children with cancer.
Ecuador's First Lady, Lavinia Valbonesi, recalled that the current government decided to resume the Initiative so that the medicines -which she referred to as state-of-the-art- would give every child the opportunity “he or she deserves to play and imagine a future full of possibilities”.
This first-of-its-kind platform aims to provide an uninterrupted supply of quality childhood cancer drugs at no cost to low- and middle-income countries participating in the pilot phase, where childhood cancer survival rates are typically below 30%, far below those recorded in high-income countries.
“The challenges to increasing childhood cancer survival rates must be addressed from multiple angles,” said Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, M.D., director of St. Jude Global. “This partnership addresses these challenges through a variety of strategies, such as strengthening supply chains, addressing workforce gaps and increasing advocacy on behalf of children with cancer. Thanks to this comprehensive approach, more children will receive better care internationally,” he added.
Ecuador is the first country in the Americas to receive essential medicines for children with cancer through PAHO's Strategic Fund. In preparation, Ecuador has made remarkable progress in pediatric oncology by introducing pediatric formulations, harmonizing treatment protocols, improving quantification, and strengthening storage and distribution in 13 hospitals equipped with specialized oncology units.
El Salvador will join the platform later this year. St. Jude and WHO announced the platform in 2021, to ensure that children around the world have access to life-saving treatments. The platform brings together governments, the pharmaceutical industry and non-governmental organizations to collaborate on a unique model focused on finding solutions for children with cancer.
“The arrival of the platform's medicines in Ecuador will help improve access to life-saving treatments and strengthen pediatric oncology,” said Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). “Extending the platform to El Salvador will extend regional efforts to ensure equitable access to childhood cancer medicines,” he added.
The platform is intended to become the largest initiative of its kind, with the goal of reaching 50 countries in the next five to seven years, providing medicines to treat approximately 120,000 children with cancer in countries with limited resources and significantly reducing mortality rates. The platform will continue to expand, with the addition of six countries by 2025.
The platform offers comprehensive support, from consolidating global demand to shaping the market, assisting countries in drug selection and developing treatment standards. It is a transformative model for the global health community working together to address health challenges, with a focus on children and noncommunicable diseases.
PAHO's Strategic Fund plays a key role not only in the procurement of medicines for countries participating in the Platform, but also in ensuring affordable access to essential cancer treatments throughout the region. Interprogrammatic efforts include introducing pediatric formulations, harmonizing treatment protocols, improving quantification, and strengthening storage and distribution, reinforcing the Fund's commitment to expand access to life-saving health technologies.
“Every child deserves a chance, and thanks to our collective action and perseverance to ensure equitable access to life-saving medicines, we can now turn hope into cure and ensure that no child faces cancer alone,” said Christopher Lim, Head of PAHO's Strategic Fund.
