Access to and Affordability of World Health Organization Essential Medicines for Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examples from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda

Background Cancer mortality is high in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), partly due to inadequate treatment access. We explored access to and affordability of cancer treatment regimens for the top 10 cancers utilizing examples from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Materials and Methods Population, healthcare financing, minimum wage, and cancer incidence and mortality data were obtained from the WHO, World Bank, public sources, and GLOBOCAN. National Essential Medicines List (NEML) alignment with 2019 WHO EML was assessed as a proportion. Cancer regimen pricing was calculated using public and proprietary sources and methods from prior studies. Affordability through universal healthcare coverage (UHC) was assessed as 1-year cost <3x gross national income per capita; and to patients out-of-pocket (OOP), as 30-day treatment course cost Results A total of 93.4% of the WHO EML cancer medicines were listed on the 2019 Kenya NEML, and 70.5% and 41.1% on Uganda (2016) and Rwanda (2015) NEMLs, respectively. Generic chemotherapies were available and affordable to governments through UHC to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cervical, breast, prostate, colorectal, ovarian cancers, and select leukemias. Newer targeted agents were not affordable through government UHC purchasing, while some capecitabine-based regimens were not affordable in Uganda and Rwanda. All therapies were not affordable OOP. Conclusion All cancer treatment regimens were not affordable OOP and some were not covered by governments. Newer targeted drugs were not affordable to all 3 governments. UHC of cancer drugs and improving targeted therapy affordability to LMIC governments in SSA are key to improving treatment access and health outcomes. This study evaluated the access to, and affordability of treatment regimens based on 2019 WHO Essential Medicines List (EML) indications for the 10 most common cancers in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. The findings demonstrate that all cancer treatment regimens were unaffordable to patients paying out-of-pocket and that novel essential targeted agents were not always available on country EMLs and were unaffordable to governments in all 3 countries through universal healthcare coverage purchasing.

Automated summary

This study evaluated access to and affordability of treatment regimens based on the 2019 WHO Essential Medicines List (EML) for the top 10 most common cancers in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. The findings showed that all cancer treatment regimens were unaffordable for patients paying out-of-pocket, and some novel essential targeted agents were not included on the countries' essential medicines lists and were unaffordable for governments through universal healthcare coverage purchasing.