Tackling Inequities in Childhood Cancer Through Unique Global Collaboration

• In a meaningful effort to improve childhood cancer outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Childhood Cancer International (CCI), IDA Foundation, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Resonance, Servier, and World Child Cancer have joined forces to launch the Access Cancer Treatment (ACT) for Children initiative. This unique collaboration, working closely with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)-led Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition, combines access to innovative, curative childhood cancer medicines with high-quality clinical care and patient support, laying the foundation for long-term, sustainable impact.
• In just six months, the initiative has implemented key care improvement strategies and delivered $2.3 million worth of high-quality, innovative pediatric oncology medicines to childhood cancer centers in Asia and Central America, helping to reduce financial barriers and ensure access to children in LMICs.
• OncoDaily—one of the largest online platforms for oncology news—has pledged to keep the global community informed about the initiative and drive greater awareness of the huge inequities in pediatric cancer care.

February 12, 2025 – Today, a select group of organizations, including the international and independent pharmaceutical company, Servier, announced a collaborative initiative, Access Cancer Treatment (ACT) for Children. The initiative is aligned with the WHO CureAll framework to address disparities in pediatric cancer care in LMICs. This partnership seeks to transform the landscape of childhood cancer care in LMICs by ensuring that children receive quality medical care and support, including life-saving medications essential to the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of childhood cancer¹.

“Our alignment with the WHO CureAll Initiative underscores Servier’s commitment to a unified global strategy to serve patients living with cancer. This collaboration demonstrates that transformative change is possible when global resources and local expertise come together. We invite pharmaceutical companies and others to join this partnership – we must unite communities to give children with cancer the greatest chance for survival.”

Dr. Arnaud Lallouette, Executive Vice President, Global Medical & Patient Affairs, Servier

ACT for Children has already achieved these milestones:

• With the help of the UICC-led ATOM Coalition, IDA Foundation, CCI and local patient organizations, Servier has provided $2.3 million worth of high-quality, essential medicines at no cost to childhood cancer centers in Asia and Central America.
• IDA Foundation ensured the safe delivery of these medicines by leveraging its 50 years of supply chain expertise, managing logistics, and supporting import processes for smooth distribution.
• Resonance, a global contract research organization (CRO) specializing in pediatric oncology, is sponsoring and implementing registries and quality improvement initiatives, including providing data management systems to monitor and track improvements in child cancer outcomes.
• SIOP and World Child Cancer launched specialized hands-on education and patient support programs aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment outcomes, and empowering families.
• World Child Cancer launched a global awareness and fundraising campaign, #CancelChildCancer.
• CCI and its members provide essential support and care services—such as accommodation, nutrition, psychosocial counselling, and transport—to ensure that patients and their families are able to access and adhere to treatment. CCI also advocates globally for awareness and better resources, policies, and practices for the betterment of childhood cancer treatment and care.  
• With the help of Resonance, Servier is strengthening local healthcare capacity by employing data managers, patient navigators, and other essential care providers.

Every year, thousands of children in LMICs experience cancer alongside significant inequalities that impact their chances of survival. Counterfeit and substandard medicines, insufficient medical education, and lack of access to proper diagnostics and multi-disciplinary treatment are among the factors driving alarmingly low survival rates—which can be as low as 30%, compared to approximately 80% in most high-income countries². Each partner—suppliers, logistics partners, healthcare professionals and more—plays a key role in ensuring sustainable access to care, which would not be possible through individual efforts.

“The ACT for Children is doing essential work to address the disparity in childhood cancer survival rates and treatment options across LMICs. As a partner of the initiative, World Child Cancer has launched the Cancel Child Cancer campaign, creating a space for people to come together and strengthen the systems and processes that provide essential care to children. Since its inception, World Child Cancer has supported approximately 50,000 children with cancer and trained more than 20,000 health workers worldwide.”

Dana Bryson, Board Chair, World Child Cancer, USA

“Ensuring that children in LMICs have access to innovative medicines cannot be achieved without creative, forward-thinking programs and a long-term vision. The ATOM Coalition provides a platform for all stakeholders, including pharmaceutical partners, willing to implement strategies that reduce financial barriers and adapt solutions to fit the LMIC context. We applaud Servier’s visionary leadership in support of greater access to oncology medicines and look forward to continued collaboration.”

Amy Israel, Senior Advisor, Access to Medicines, UICC-led ATOM Coalition

There are plans to expand these initiatives to additional childhood cancer centers in the coming year to build momentum for long-term, sustainable improvements in treating childhood cancer on a global scale.

Looking ahead, the partners will:

• Advocate for stricter regulation of counterfeit and substandard medicines, ensuring secure supply chains.
• Leverage IDA Foundation’s expertise and advanced tools to ensure sustainable and efficient access to innovative treatments.
• Expand education programs for healthcare providers in alignment with WHO-endorsed best practices.
• Scale up data management systems to enhance clinical care across multiple regions.
• In collaboration, CCI and World Child Cancer will advance family support programs. A special focus for CCI will be developing nutrition programs in focus countries where such nutritional support programs need development or are lacking.
• Drive awareness and action to ensure equitable access to life-saving cancer treatments for all children.

As part of their commitment to advancing pediatric cancer care, OncoDaily and SIOP will host the Second Global OncoThon, a 24-hour virtual event on February 15, 2025, in honor of International Childhood Cancer Day. Bringing together global leaders, celebrities, healthcare professionals, innovators, and advocates, the OncoThon aims to raise critical funds for pediatric cancer research and tackle disparities in treatment access, particularly in LMICs. Save the date and join us for this pivotal day of solidarity and progress.

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[1] Source Nature, Leukemia, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-024-02277-9, consulted on12/02/2025
[2] Source World Health Organization (WHO), https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer-in-children, consulted on 12/02/2025