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Research highlights global disparities in access to life-saving cancer treatments.
A recent study co-led by Penn State researchers has revealed a significant gap in the availability and timeliness of cancer drugs across countries, with wealthier nations typically seeing faster and more frequent launches of new treatments. Published in BMJ Global Health, the study sheds light on the challenges faced by lower-income countries in accessing crucial cancer medications, despite global advancements in drug development.
The team, led by Qiushi Chen, an assistant professor in the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Penn State, examined cancer drug launches between 1990 and 2022. Using advanced engineering data analytics, they analyzed a global database of 568 new cancer drugs, tracking 4,184 drug launches in 111 countries. This comprehensive study is the first to assess drug launches on such a broad scale, looking at every commercially developed cancer drug across more than three decades.
The findings highlight a stark contrast between high- and low-income countries. During the study period, countries with higher gross national income per capita saw more cancer drug launches and shorter delays in their availability. The United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and China led the world in both the total number of launches and the speed of availability. By contrast, regions such as Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe had fewer launches and longer delays.
Out of the 568 drugs launched globally, 35% were only available in a single country by the end of 2022, while 43% reached more than five countries. The disparities are particularly stark when looking at the number of launches per country, which ranged from zero to 345. For example, the U.S. alone accounted for 345 cancer drug launches, while countries in the Global South faced significant delays and limited access.
“Our study demonstrates that while cancer drug development is advancing globally, the distribution of these vital treatments remains highly unequal,” said Chen. “These findings underscore the need for stronger public policies that promote equitable access to cancer drugs, especially in lower-income countries, to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes for patients worldwide.”
The study also noted that the gap between wealthy and poor nations in terms of cancer drug access has only widened over the past three decades. In many cases, patients in low-income countries face long waiting periods after global drug launches before they can receive treatment, contributing to poorer health outcomes and higher mortality rates.
Co-corresponding author Meng Li from Tufts Medical Center and DukHee Ka, a doctoral student at Penn State, also contributed to the research. Their analysis calls for urgent changes in health policy and international cooperation to address these access inequities and ensure that life-saving cancer drugs are available to all patients, regardless of where they live.
The study emphasizes the critical need for systemic changes in healthcare industries and governments worldwide to tackle these disparities. As researchers continue to uncover the scope of these inequalities, the hope is that such data will help drive policy reforms aimed at improving access to cancer treatments globally.
For more information, refer to the full study: Meng Li et al., “Disparities in availability of new cancer drugs worldwide: 1990-2022,” BMJ Global Health, 2024. DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015700.
