ATOM Coalition partners with ACT for Children to bridge childhood cancer medicine gaps in LMICs

The Access Cancer Treatment (ACT) for Children initiative is a step closer towards children gaining more access to high-quality, life-saving cancer medicines, alongside essential clinical care and patient support. It brings together a number of UICC members and partners: Childhood Cancer International (CCI), IDA Foundation, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Resonance, World Child Cancer and Servier. The collaboration builds on the approach of the UICC-led ATOM Coalition in increasing access to oncology medicines in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), reinforcing partners' commitment to sustainable cancer care solutions. 

Supported by the ATOM Coalition, the initiative has already delivered USD 2.3 million worth of innovative paediatric oncology medicines to cancer centres in Asia and Central America, with plans to extend its reach to additional regions. 

“For children in LMICs, access to quality cancer treatment remains a major challenge. The ATOM Coalition provides a vital platform for collective action, working with pharmaceutical partners and local stakeholders to reduce financial and logistical barriers. We are proud to collaborate with ACT for Children and other key partners to drive meaningful progress in paediatric cancer care.”
– Amy Israel, Senior Advisor, Access to Medicines, UICC-led ATOM Coalition. 

The joint efforts align with the WHO's Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, which aims to increase child cancer survival rates to at least 60% globally by 2030, potentially saving the lives of an additional one million children and with the WHO CureAll framework to ensure a holistic approach to sustainable and comprehensive paediatric cancer treatment.

Over the next year, ATOM Coalition partners and ACT for Children will continue to advocate for stricter regulations on counterfeit and substandard medicines, expand educational programs for healthcare providers in LMICs, scale up medicine distribution efforts to additional cancer centres and support local health systems through capacity-strengthening initiatives.