Vital prostate cancer drug to cost less in new pact
Abiraterone Acetate is an innovator treatment regimen.
What you need to know:
- Health financing especially for Non-Communicable Diseases remains a big challenge in the country, which could derail the achievement of Universal Health Coverage.
- Patients battling chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension bear the brunt as most donors focus on transmissible diseases such as HIV/Aids.
Prostate cancer patients who are members of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will now have access to a crucial drug at a reduced price within their existing benefits package.
The innovator prescription drug is manufactured and distributed by Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Janssen Kenya), a pharmaceutical branch of Johnson & Johnson company.
A joint Memorandum of Understanding signed last week between NHIF and Janssen Kenya will enable individuals battling advanced prostate cancer to benefit from Abiraterone Acetate, an innovator treatment regimen.
The agreement will see the price of the treatment drug slashed by a half from Sh1,200,000, with a patient being given 10 packs of the drug to fit within the NHIF oncology package of Sh600,000.
This is even as health financing especially for Non-Communicable Diseases remains a big challenge in the country, which could derail the achievement of Universal Health Coverage.
Patients battling chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension bear the brunt as most donors focus on transmissible diseases such as HIV/Aids.
Currently, the NHIF oncology package caters for six sessions of first grade treatment, with each session costing Sh25,000; four sessions for second-and third grade treatment at Sh150,000 per session, and 20 sessions of radiotherapy at Sh3,600 per session.
Biopsy and radiology including PET and CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds under the surgical cover are catered for at the diagnosis level. These include 10 chemotherapy sessions, oral and injectable anti-cancer drugs and a maximum of two brachytherapy sessions annually for patients with advanced cancer.
These packages are available in select private hospitals mainly in cities and a few level five and six hospitals.
The Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache in a speech read on her behalf by NHIF Chairman Lewis Nguyai praised the collaboration, terming it a significant milestone that will enhance access to pioneering drugs locally.
In her statement that was read during the MoU signing at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi, the PS noted that prostate cancer, just like other common cancers, requires efficient prognosis that comprises early screening and detection programmes as well as provision of timely treatment services.
However, she, raised the alarm over low uptake of early cancer screening and detection services, which she blamed for high fatality rate.
“The mortality related to prostate cancer is attributed to late prognosis as it is mostly asymptomatic in the early stages. In Kenya, 80 per cent of the patients are diagnosed with advanced disease and more aggressive tumours, resulting to poor clinical outcomes,” she stated.
In Kenya, about 42,116 people were diagnosed with cancer while 27,092 died from cancer related illnesses in 2020.
Among the male population, prostate cancer takes the lead with over 3,400 new cases and 1,740 deaths recorded yearly.
“These figures are not just numbers. These are our sons, brothers, fathers, our grandfathers. One death is just one too many,” said the PS.
“I urge all Kenyans to develop a habit of undergoing annual medical check ups. If not that, let us not ignore those lumps we feel in our bodies because they are painless. Let us exercise, eat a balanced diet and avoid habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and generally eating unhealthy foods,” she advised.
