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GCR and the Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition announce partnership

The Global Coalition for Radiotherapy (GCR) announces a partnership with the Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition, a ground-breaking initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

The ATOM Coalition is dedicated to increasing access to essential cancer medicines in Low-and Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LLMICs) and to helping countries develop the capacity for their proper use. By joining the ATOM Coalition partner network, the GCR will support radiotherapy-specific programs and facilitate a network of global radiotherapy experts.

It is well-documented that 70% of cancer-related deaths happen in LLMICs, highlighting the acute inequality in access to prevention programs, timely diagnosis, and high-quality treatment. From a treatment perspective, more than 50% of the cancer drugs on the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines List (WHO EML) are unavailable in LLMICs. On the other hand, radiotherapy, which is required in over half of all cancer cases, is often limited or completely unavailable in LLMICs. For example, according to the IAEA, most Sub-Saharan countries have less than 1 radiotherapy machine per 1 million people.

By joining efforts, the ATOM Coalition and the GCR believe that reducing suffering and deaths caused by cancer requires partnership, and collaboration across treatment modalities. The GCR is proud to be a partner of the ATOM Coalition to support radiotherapy-specific capacity-strengthening programmes.

 

Contributed by Andrés Dewey

Dewey is a volunteer at the Global Coalition for Radiotherapy, supporting the partnerships of GCR. His background includes developing market development initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa for a major radiotherapy player and is interested in equitable healthcare and access to cancer care LLMICs. Connect via email here.

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