Sandoz and World Child Cancer announce new health initiative in the Philippines

Holzkirchen, Germany, 18-Feb-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — Sandoz, together with leading global charity World Child Cancer (WCC), is pleased to announce a new health initiative in the Philippines, aimed at improving the standard of care for children suffering from cancer.

Cancer survival rates for children in the Philippines are less than 20%, compared to an average of 80% in developed countries. The goal of the new partnership, further details of which will be announced next month, is to help “even the odds” by supporting the development of specialist treatment centers in the island region of Mindanao.

Paul Geymayer, Sandoz regional head for Asia-Pacific, says: “This pilot project will take simple, pragmatic measures to attack cancer where it is most vulnerable: among underprivileged children suffering from forms of cancer that are absolutely treatable if given access to medicines, medical information and professional healthcare. Our goal is to make cancer care accessible to more children on the island, enhance the standard of care and improve survival rates.”

Jon Rosser, World Child Cancer CEO adds: “In the Philippines, there are approximately 3,500 new cases of childhood cancer every year, with two-thirds diagnosed only at advanced stages. More than 80% of patients live too far away from a treatment center to access the care they need and many are forced to discontinue treatment due to costs and travel difficulties. “However, many of these cases are curable and this project will help to ensure that these children are able to access the care they need”.

The WCC partnership highlights Sandoz’s commitment to address key global healthcare challenges by pioneering new approaches to increase access to medicine.

For more information, see: http://www.sandoz.com/corporate_responsibility/index.shtml.

Source – World Child Cancer / www.worldchildcancer.org

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