SEATTLE, Washington – May 17, 2023 – The Max Foundation (Max), a global nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity by delivering medication, technology, and supportive services to patients worldwide, BeiGene, a global biotechnology company, and the BeiGene Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation, today announced a collaboration to provide access to BRUKINSA (zanubrutinib) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 29 low- and middle-income countries over the next three years. This collaboration advances each organization’s focus on patient access by combining Max’s expertise and infrastructure with a donated product from BeiGene, and a grant from the BeiGene Foundation.
“We are thrilled to partner with BeiGene to help people living with CLL in low- and middle-income countries have access to BRUKINSA,” said Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, CEO of Max. “This collaboration marks the first time patients with CLL will have access to treatment through Max. We commend BeiGene for joining our Humanitarian Partnership for Access to Cancer Treatments (Humanitarian PACT) the same year BRUKINSA received its U.S. approval in CLL, demonstrating a powerful commitment to health equity for patients regardless of where they live.”
The Humanitarian PACT is a collaboration among professional, nonprofit, and commercial organizations that share the commitment of Max to increase global access to treatment, care, and support for people living with cancer. Members of the Humanitarian PACT agree to invest resources and/or their unique organizational knowledge and capabilities to support the expansion of Max’s proven treatment access model.
“When I started BeiGene, my goal was to ensure more patients have access to critical medicines regardless of geography or socioeconomic status,” said John V. Oyler, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of BeiGene. “This collaboration with Max is a critical step in achieving this objective and emphasizes the necessity of high-impact partnerships to remove some of the obstacles that prevent patients’ access to treatment.”
During the second half of 2023, Max will partner with leading physicians in target low- and middle-income countries to set up a robust access pathway for patients for whom they prescribe BRUKINSA. CLL is the most common leukemia in adults, accounting for about one third of new cases of leukemia worldwide[i]. Globally, there are around 40,000 deaths due to CLL per year2.
About The Max Foundation
The Max Foundation is a global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 26 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring lifesaving treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope. Learn more at www.themaxfoundation.org.
About BeiGene
BeiGene is a global biotechnology company that is discovering and developing innovative oncology treatments that are more affordable and accessible to cancer patients worldwide. With a broad portfolio, we are expediting development of our diverse pipeline of novel therapeutics through our internal capabilities and collaborations. We are committed to radically improving access to medicines for far more patients who need them. Our growing global team of more than 9,400 colleagues spans five continents, with administrative offices in Basel; Beijing; and Cambridge, U.S. To learn more about BeiGene, please visit www.beigene.com and follow us on Twitter at @BeiGeneGlobal.
About the BeiGene Foundation
The BeiGene Foundation is a charitable organization established by BeiGene, Ltd. It is a separate legal entity from BeiGene, Ltd. with distinct legal restrictions. The foundation’s mission is to deliver health equity, access to quality healthcare, disaster relief, and community engagement.
[i],2 Yao Y, Lin X, Li F, Jin J, Wang H. The global burden and attributable risk factors of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: analysis based on the global burden of disease study 2019. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35016695/
