International Collaboration

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Cancer is a global disease

​KWF Dutch Cancer Society considers cancer as a global disease. Therefore we want to be involved in global cancer control: ‘together for less cancer burden worldwide’ is our motto. Its our vision to participate globally and to share expertise and experience we have acquired from nearly 65 years and to learn from other organizations as well. We prefer to collaborate with international oriented organizations like the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the International Cancer Research Partnership (ICRP), the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and many others. 

Our partners

International cancer information service group (ICISG)
Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)​ 
Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL)​ 
European Organization for Research and Treatment
International Cancer Research Partnership
Entertainment Industry Foundation / Stand up to Cancer​
American Cancer Society / Relay for Life​

 

European Fair Pricing Network

Access to fair priced cancer medicines

With aging population and rising number of cancer cases in Europe, the expenditure on cancer medicines is growing. Lack of adequate access to both new and off-patent cancer medicines remains an issue, with high prices often cited as a main contributory factor. Furthermore, overall prices of cancer medicines continue to rise, to the extent of impairing the capacity of health systems to provide affordable, population-wide access to cancer medicines.

In response, KWF Dutch Cancer Society decided to unite European cancer societies and research institutes to establish the European Fair Pricing Network (EFPN). The main objectives are:

  • Timely access to cancer medicines
  • Fair prices for cancer medicines
  • A transparant pharmaceutical market

More info on the EFPN website

The EFPN research unit monitors and provides information on five themes and research questions: 

  1. Access: Which highly valuable medicines are available for specific (sub)populations?

    The aim is to identify (sub)national disparities in accessibility and coverage of a list of (expected) valuable cancer medicines among European Member States. Possibly, theoretical data from clinical trials on the value of cancer medicines (e.g. survival) is differentiated from real-world data, to retrieve the actual highly valuable medicines.
     
  2. Transparency: At which (actual) price are the above medicines available?

    Transparency on the supply of cancer medicines and actual prices and pricing mechanisms in the pharmaceutical market would address the need to clarify current discrepancies between relevant stakeholders on price data of cancer medicines.
     
  3. Accountability: What are the usage and expenditure trends for the above medicines?

    The aim of this theme is to clearly represent consumption and expenditure trends per country for the selected cancer medicines, and to identify medicines with high budgetary and financial impacts that drive pharmaceutical spending.
     
  4. Efficacy: Is there an association between the access and availability of innovative cancer medicines and their clinical benefit? 

    The aim of this project is to analyze clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness per medicine, per indication, within our multi-country framework. Next, a critical appraisal on the access decisions will be elaborated.
     
  5. Innovation: Which innovative initiatives and promising business models exist to increase access and coverage and how to put them in motion? 

    This theme focuses on the initiatives and best practices from different stakeholders (authorities, insurance agencies, third party payers, and health care providers) to improve bargaining power in negotiation of access and coverage of cancer medicines. 

The advocacy translates the research findings into policy recommendations in order to shape political decisions on the European and national level. Focusing on:
 

  1. Transparency - Achieve greater bargaining power for governments in the pricing negotiations with the industry.
     
  2. Accountability - Ensure medicines (especially those resulting from publicly funded research) are available at an affordable price.

Cancer organizations from more than 10 European countries have joined EFPN:

The Netherlands Cancer Institute coordinates the research and is responsible for the financial, administrative and operational management. Other participants are the Access to Medicines Taskforce of the European Cancer League and the Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). With funding and/or manpower, they make an important contribution to the objectives of EFPN.