Cancer drug prices set to drop as Kenya seals deal with Pfizer

Cancer patients in Kenya are set to benefit from significantly lower medicine costs following an agreement between the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) and US pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

In a statement on X, President William Ruto said the agreement, signed under Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World programme, will reduce the cost of medicines used to treat several cancers by more than seven times.

The announcement follows a meeting between Ruto and Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla at State House, Nairobi.

The affected cancers include breast, stomach, colon, lung, prostate and oesophageal cancers, as well as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

In some cases, the cost of treatment will drop from as high as Ksh1 million to less than Ksh50,000 per treatment cycle.

Ruto said the reduced prices will also make the Ksh800,000 cancer treatment package under the Social Health Authority (SHA) adequate to cover treatment without requiring patients to make additional payments.

“The impact of the agreement between Pfizer and the Kenya Medical Supply Authority (KEMSA) – titled Accord for a Healthier World – will make the Ksh800,000 Social Health Authority (SHA) cancer package fully adequate without additional cost to patients,” he stated.

The agreement will also allow Kenya to access newer cancer medicines without the current 10-year waiting period, according to the President.

Ruto said the partnership will further support local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Africa through access to technologies and newer medicines.

“As the African Union Champion for Local Manufacturing of Medical Commodities, I am proud that Pfizer is making available these technologies and newer medicines for local pharmaceutical production in the continent,” he said.

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