Pfizer, Cipla to supply affordable cancer drugs to Africa

Abstract

Pfizer and the Indian drug manufacturer, Cipla, has announced an initiative that will see 16 common cancer drugs being supplied at, or near, cost price in six major African countries - a move that will be the biggest effort to increase drug access in under-served African nations since the revolutionary antiretroviral supply scheme, PEPLAR·, that was introduced in 2003. Dyer says the deal, negotiated by the American Cancer Society and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, will also provide new guidelines for cancer treatment adapted for the African context and resources - these may be accessed by anyone with a smartphone through an IBM app.