Roche supports early diagnosis of cervical cancer in LMICs by supplying its WHO-prequalified HPV test to nearly 50 countries in scope of the Index

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of cervical cancer. Each year, more than 600,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer globally, with the disease causing more than 340,000 deaths.¹ 

By 2030, annual cases of cervical cancer are set to rise to 700,000 globally, with 400,000 deaths.² Despite the fact that cervical cancer is preventable and curable if detected early, it remains among the main causes of cancer-related death in women, especially in LMICs.² Of those who die from the disease, almost 90% live in LMICs, where the disease incidence is almost double the rate in high-income countries.^1,2

Diagnostic screening for HPV is a first step to detect cancers and stands to reduce the burden of disease in LMICs. It is also important that those countries with the highest burden of disease have access to the same quality of diagnostic and health products that are available in high-income countries.

Best practice 

Roche demonstrates Best Practice with its Cobas® HPV diagnostic test for cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers, which screens for 14 high-risk HPV types – including HPV16 and HPV18 – that are responsible for most HPV-related cancers, supporting screening for earlier diagnosis in countries disproportionately affected.

Roche's Cobas® HPV test has been awarded World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalification, an evaluation that confirms the tests meet certain quality and efficacy standards required for supranational procurement by UN agencies. Importantly, the company has multiple access pathways to improve the product's availability and affordability in LMICs. Through the Global Access Program (GAP), which Roche launched in 2014, donors, multilateral organisations, international agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governments can purchase its test at a standardised price across 89 LMICs. Prices are determined in consultation with GAP partners including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI); the President's Emergency Plans for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Unitaid; and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Global Fund (Global Fund).

Through the GAP, Roche supplied 35 countries in scope of the Index during the period of analysis, including eight low-income countries (LICs). Among the 35 countries in scope, three have a high burden of cervical cancer.

Roche also supplies the test directly to countries not eligible to procure it through the GAP; 14 countries in scope were reached, including three lower-middle income countries. In Peru, a country not eligible for procurement through the GAP, Roche engages directly with the government, participating in the yearly public tenders. As part of its efforts in Peru, Roche has worked with third-party organisations to identify barriers and bottlenecks that prevent increases in coverage. In addition to initiatives included in the tender, such as educating healthcare professionals and distributing awareness materials to communities, Roche has made extra efforts by engaging in capacity-building activities in partnership with NGOs and supporting geographical expansion of the screening programme.

Conclusion 

Roche sets a positive example by employing various strategies, beyond supranational procurement, to increase access to diagnostics for preventing cervical cancer in women in LMICs. In setting up access strategies for their products, all companies should consider multiple access pathways, tailored to the country, product and disease characteristics. This is particularly important for diseases that disproportionately affect people in LIMCs, to ensure broader and more equitable access to treatment.

*Throughout the 2024 Access to Medicine Index, the term LMICs is used to denote all low- and middle-income countries in scope, except when analysing companies’ access strategies, where the use of LMIC refers to lower-middle income countries as per the World Bank income groups classification. Likewise, the terms LIC and UMIC refer to low-income countries and upper-middle-income countries. 

_{1. World Health Organization (WHO). Cervical cancer. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer} 

_{2. World Health Organization (WHO). Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. Published 2020. Accessed September 18, 2024. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/336583/9789240014107-eng.pdf?sequence=1}