Novartis, The Max Foundation, and a young girl who dreamed to be a lawyer
The Max Foundation and Novartis renew their commitment to CML patients
The Max Foundation’s access program exceeds 10 million daily doses of cancer treatment distributed to patients worldwide
Since the launch of Max Access Solutions in 2017, The Max Foundation has delivered over 10 million daily doses of cancer treatment to patients in more than 70 low- and middle-income countries.
The majority of the cancer treatment we provide requires patients to take a daily dose. Since its inception, we have scaled the program to support more than 30,000 patients and expect to double the total number of yearly doses distributed within the next year.
“This milestone is no small achievement. Every one of the 10 million doses represents a day in the life of more than 30,000 families,” says Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, CEO of The Max Foundation. “In less than three years since the launch of Max Access Solutions, this number is a testament to the commitment of our implementing partners and donors, the determination of our team, and the resilience of our patients.”
Most recently, our global team and partners have worked hard to transition patients in India who had been receiving cancer treatment via the Glivec® International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP) since 2002 into the umbrella of Max Access Solutions. This transition meant building new partnerships with local dispensation centers and pharmacies to ensure every patient can continue to access their treatment seamlessly.
J. Michael Wrigglesworth, The Max Foundation’s Sr. Director of Programs Strategy & Data Solutions notes this growth has been possible with our in-house online program management tool, the Patient Access Tracking System (PATS®).
“From its launch in 2017, PATS® was built to monitor and support cancer patients regardless of a patient’s location, disease, or treatment plan,” Michael says. “PATS® has the ability to easily integrate new countries, onboard treating physicians, and monitor patients around the world.”
It’s important to note that Max Access Solutions is not just a donation program, but rather, a patient access program with a broad set of activities that support each patient throughout their treatment and program lifecycle. The biggest differentiator of our program is our Patient Services, often carried out in collaboration with local patient organizations.
In India, patient support activities are carried out in partnership with the Friends of Max Trust, our local partner organization. Each year, in collaboration with Friends of Max, we host Patient Support Group meetings where patients, their families, and their caregivers can meet our team and treating physicians to ask questions and share their personal experiences. These meetings are especially vital for individuals and their families who are either facing a recent cancer diagnosis, change in treatment, or change in treating physicians.
“Reaching 10 million daily doses is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Viji Venkatesh, The Max Foundation Region Head for South Asia. “Along every dose that reaches the patient’s hands is a support system to educate patients, strengthen community, and destigmatize cancer.”
Today, as we face a global pandemic, our Patient Services have never been more vital. Our team continues to work around the clock to ensure each patient is fully supported, informed, and able to reach their treatment safely.
Lear more about our Patient Services and Max Access Solutions.
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.
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