Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 11 February 2025, the World Health Organization and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital announced the first deliveries from the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines. The platform supplies quality-assured cancer drugs for children at no cost to participating countries during its pilot phase, starting with Mongolia and Uzbekistan.
Key facts
Shipments to Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia were scheduled next, with about 5,000 children in at least 30 hospitals expected to benefit in 2025.
By September 2026 the platform was working with 12 countries: Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Jordan, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Zambia.
The long-term goal is 50 countries within five to seven years, treating about 120,000 children.
An assessment found only around 45% of essential childhood cancer medicines were available in the 51 hospitals visited.
Why it matters
About 80% of children with cancer survive in high-income countries, but survival is often below 30% in low- and middle-income countries, largely because treatment is missing or interrupted. A steady, free supply of the right medicines is one of the simplest ways to close that gap.
Worth noting
The platform is still a pilot, and medicines are only one part of care; children also need fast diagnosis, trained staff and follow-up. WHO's updates so far report reach and supply, not yet changes in survival in the participating countries.