Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition

A UICC-led initiative pioneering access solutions for cancer medicines

ATOM Coalition: Medicines being dispensed to patient
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The work of the ATOM Coalition extends beyond short term solutions with a focus on addressing system-level barriers that limit patient access to quality, timely oncology medicines. These include supporting more efficient regulatory processes for medicines in countries, strengthening medicine supply chains and ensuring pathology and diagnostic infrastructure are available. 

 

By supporting countries to strengthen the systems and capabilities needed to receive, use and sustainably scale access to priority cancer medicines. This includes addressing critical barriers, including regulatory processes, supply chains, diagnostics and pathology, and appropriate clinical use—so that available medicines are effectively integrated into national health systems and reach patients safely, appropriately and on time. 

By enabling countries to expand access to priority cancer medicines and diagnostics, guided by an expert-endorsed Priority Medicines List and delivered through sustainable access pathways (licensing, indirect commercialisation, NCDconnect and humanitarian access via donations). 

By helping countries strengthen planning, prioritisation and financing for cancer care, identifying gaps, aligning partners, and supporting more efficient allocation of limited resources. 
The ATOM Coalition was set up to ensure that low- and lower-middle income countries get the support they need to receive the essential cancer medicines where they are currently lacking, as well as the training on their use so that their availability becomes sustainable long term and addresses the specific needs of each country with respect to its cancer burden.
Anil D'Cruz
Dr Anil D'Cruz, Director of Oncology at Apollo Hospitals in India and former Co-Chair of the ATOM Coalition Executive Committee

Target priority medicines

The ATOM Priority Medicines List is a practical, evidence-based tool to support country-led prioritisation of cancer medicines with high potential patient impact. Focused on ATOM’s priority cancers, it helps countries identify, plan for and progressively expand access to priority medicines in line with health system readiness and implementation capacity. 

Developed through the Medicines Expert Advisory Group, the list uses a transparent, expert-endorsed methodology grounded in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, ESMO, ASCO, NCCN and other recognised clinical guidance. Medicines are prioritised based on clinical benefit, line of therapy, population relevance and relevance across cancer types. 

The list is intended to support national cancer control planning, medicines selection, alignment with national essential medicines lists, insurance packages and procurement processes, and dialogue with partners on access, affordability and supply. It complements, rather than replaces, existing global, regional and national clinical guidance. 

Patient with a bottle of medicine

ATOM Coalition target countries

In its first phase, the ATOM Coalition will concentrate on strengthening access to essential oncology medicines in 46 LLMICs. In parallel, capacity building activities will commence in a subset of 11 of these 46 LLMICs based on analysis of a range of readiness criteria. Criteria include:

  • the current presence of UICC member organisations ​​​​​​​

  • the current presence of ATOM Coalition partners
  • health systems readiness
  • diagnostic capability
  • the number of essential medicines already listed on their national EMLs
  • the existence of other access programmes in the country and
  • the willingness of manufacturers to make their medicines available in those countries.

 

Africa
Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia

Americas
Belize, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua

Europe
Georgia, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Rep., Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

Eastern Mediterranean
Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan 

South and South-East Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia

Western Pacific
Cambodia, Lao, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines  

  • El Salvador
  • Ethiopia
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Indonesia
  • Mongolia
  • Philippines
  • Rwanda
  • Kenya
  • Uganda
  • Zambia  

Learn more about the ATOM Coalition's work

ATOM Coalition Capacity building analysis Exec Summary cover
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ATOM Coalition
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ATOM Coalition_A4_Flyer_FA.pdf
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ATOM Coalition
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Be part of the UICC-led efforts to reduce suffering and deaths caused by cancer in low- and lower-middle income countries through improved access to and use of essential cancer medicines.

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