Creating access to cancer drugs in Africa

At the beginning of the 21st century, governments, philanthropies and pharmaceutical companies came together to provide Africans access to HIV medications, saving millions of lives by reducing the disparities in access between wealthy and poor countries. Today, another massive access disparity — the lack of access to medicines and care for cancer — condemns hundreds of thousands of Africans every year to deaths that could be avoided.

Communicable diseases, not cancer, are the focus of most global health initiatives.  While much more must be done to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in Africa, decades of investments in initiatives by philanthropies, governments and biopharma companies are paying off.  Deaths from malaria have been halved over the last two decades. ...