The Max Foundation is proud to announce it has signed an expanded collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb – a committed pharmaceutical partner and member of our humanitarian pact.
Since 2016, Bristol-Myers Squibb has formally partnered with The Max Foundation to assist cancer patients in under-resourced countries who are unable to access treatment. During that time, more than 327 patients in 21 countries have benefitted from our collaboration, and 256 are currently receiving ongoing treatment.
Under our updated agreement, Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed to a forty-five percent increase in the maximum number of patients actively on treatment with their targeted cancer therapy, Sprycel®(dasatinib). In addition, Bristol-Myers Squibb will plan to make a monetary contribution to support system strengthening throughout the Max Access Solutions model, including initiatives increasing access to diagnostics, informational workshops, and one-to-one support.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has also extended its trusted partnership with The Max Foundation to provide technical assistance. Together, we’re enhancing the strong monitoring & evaluation framework already in place to help ensure access to treatment around the world.
Carmen is a retired bookkeeper and loving Filipino grandmother. She supports her family by tutoring her grandkids, sewing clothes, and cooking meals.
When she was first diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Carmen began receiving free treatment through The Max Foundation. Her drug therapy worked well initially, but eventually she stopped responding and feared the worst: “My children did not know that I had already sewn my dress in preparation for my own funeral.”
Thanks to collaborations with pharmaceutical partners and the patient-centered approach of our Max Access Solutions, Carmen was able to switch to Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Sprycel®as a next-line option. Today, she’s still happily doting on her grandkids, and her family is happy too. Carmen is just one of hundreds being rescued for a second time, and one of more than 15,000 enrolled in our Max Access Solutions.
“As we work to expand oncology treatment access for patients in low-income countries, we are grateful to have steadfast partners like Bristol-Myers Squibb,” said Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, CEO and co-founder of The Max Foundation. “Their ongoing commitment to addressing the unmet needs of people living with cancer in neglected parts of the world demonstrates how the public and private sectors can come together with solutions that save lives right away. Together we are bringing hope to people that would have otherwise gone without treatment, and that brings hope for all the other patients we aim to reach in the near future.”
“At Bristol-Myers Squibb, we believe in The Max Foundation’s mission of increasing patient access to treatment, care, and support,” Amadou Diarra, Head, Global Policy, Advocacy & Government Affairs shared. “Their work supporting patients in low- and middle-income countries is strongly aligned with our company values around ensuring patients everywhere are able to benefit from our innovative products. We are proud of our partnership and how it has grown through the years and we are heartened by patient stories that show the true impact of our collaboration.”
We at The Max Foundation express our deepest thanks to Bristol-Myers Squibb for their continued partnership. Together, we are realizing a world where all people – people like Carmen – can face cancer with dignity and hope.
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending 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.
The numbers are in! The Max Foundation is thrilled to announce that Spot On CML, our diagnostic collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has provided free testing to 371 patients across 15 countries in its inaugural year.
Episode 11 of BeOne’s Cancer Has No Borders podcast features Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, the CEO of The Max Foundation. Watch Now
Earlier this month, The Max Foundation celebrated the delivery of 110 BCR-ABL molecular tests to Mercy Medical Center Cambodia. The delivery was the first of its kind for Max, made possible through our 2018 Diagnostics Solidarity Fund. Two more deliveries – one to Kyrgyzstan and one to Bolivia – are in process now, and we’re hopeful there will be many more to come.
