Our Experience:
Pioneering Cancer Treatment Access

Demonstrated the feasibility of a shared-cost access to treatment model in LMICs.

2012-2016

Situation

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Despite lower incidence of cancer in LMICs compared with high-income countries, cancer-related mortality is significantly higher in LMICs, highlighting the critical need for improved cancer prevention and management models. 

Unfortunately, cancer treatment is not uniform and equitable across the globe. Many barriers may hinder ones access to treatment, such as cost and socio-economic status.

Akesis, with our partners Axios International, designed and implemented a one-of-a-kind cost sharing model to facilitate access to a leading cancer treatment. The initiative aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing such a model in 10 different LMICs.

Solution 

Designed to help patients who are uninsured and are paying for treatment out-of-pocket, the Sutent Patient Assistance Program asked patients to pay what they could afford for treatment, based on a financial assessment.

A validated tool developed by Axios International called the Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET) was used to determine a patient’s ability to pay for treatment. Unlike other available financial assessment tools, PFET aims to capture a complete picture of both formal and informal income sources by taking into consideration a combination of indicators, including income level, standards of living and assets. 

To ensure local ownership, agreements were esablished with leading cancer NGOs within target countries who would receive the Sutent donations.

Akesis and Axios International worked with the Cancer Foundation of China, Chulabhorn Cancer Centre of Thailand, Pilipinas Shell Foundation of Philippines, and The Indonesian Cancer Foundation (YKI) to manage the program and drug logistics from product origin to its end-point at local pharmacies, including donation management for select patients.

Results

Akesis and Axios International was able to expand access to treatment in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, South Africa, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines and India while demonstrating the feasibility of a shared-cost access to treatment model for cancer patients.