Foundation partners Roche on affordable medicines for breast cancer patients

Medicaid Cancer Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Roche Pharmaceuticals to provide subsidized drugs for patients suffering from breast cancer.

Speaking during the exercise in Abuja, founder of the foundation and Wife of Kebbi State governor, Dr Zainab Bagudu said the partnership would enable breast cancer patients to access Roche products in a way that would make treatment available for them at a cheaper rate .

Dr Bagudu said the foundation was also currently working on a campaign to enable young Nigerian girls and boys access Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The vaccine protects against cervical cancer and other HPV related cancers.

She said the wife of the president, Hajiya Aisha Buhari had during a recent retreat for governors wives charged them to take the advocacy on HPV vaccine seriously.

She added that the campaign was also important to her because she is a board member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) which has directed its members to do their best to ensure that the younger generation receive the HPV vaccine.

“It is a small cost compared to the cost of treating cervical cancer later. We can start with a pilot scheme in one or three states and even at local governments,” she said.

Country Manager, Roche Pharmaceuticals Nigeria, Dr Ladipo Hameed said Herceptin is one of the organisation’s major targeted breast cancer medications for aggressive breast cancers, adding that with the partnership, Medicaid Cancer Foundation would be getting the medicine at subsidizes rates for patients.

“The partnership between Roche pharmaceuticals and Medicaid Cancer Foundation is to provide better access for patients who have breast cancer . We are looking at how to bring medications faster to the patients and at a more affordable prices,” he said.

Dr Hameed said Roche has been partnering with some non-governmental organizations within the last four to five years in raising awareness about breast cancer and the need for early detection.