Medicine availability and affordability for paediatric cancers, China

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dc.coverageGeneva
dc.creatorBai, Lin
dc.creatorHuang, Tao
dc.creatorLi, Huangqianyu
dc.creatorShi, Luwen
dc.creatorDenburg, Avram
dc.creatorGupta, Sumit
dc.creatorGuan, Xiaodong
dc.date2025-01-12T22:00:32Z
dc.date2025-01-12T22:00:32Z
dc.date2025-01-01
dc.date2024-11-12
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-03T12:10:50Z
dc.descriptionThis study assesses the availability and affordability of essential anticancer medicines for children in China using 2021 drug utilization data from 55 tertiary children’s hospitals across seven geographical regions. The analysis covered all 33 anticancer medicines included in the 2021 WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children and evaluated access by examining medicine availability in hospitals and treatment affordability relative to regional disposable income. The study was undertaken in the context of increasing childhood cancer incidence, persistent disparities in survival outcomes and the importance of equitable access to effective pharmacotherapy for improving cancer care. The findings indicate that access to essential paediatric anticancer medicines remains suboptimal and unevenly distributed across China. Although all medicines studied had received regulatory approval, many were available in fewer than half of surveyed hospitals, and several products imposed substantial financial burdens on families. Medicines approved for paediatric indications showed higher availability than those without such approval, while access to targeted therapies was generally lower than to cytotoxic medicines. Regional differences in availability and affordability were associated with variations in economic development and health-care resources. The study highlights the need for measures to address medicine shortages, strengthen access to essential paediatric cancer treatments and reduce financial barriers to care.
dc.description19
dc.description31B
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifier0042-9686
dc.identifierhttps://iris.who.int/handle/10665/380101
dc.identifier10.2471/BLT.24.291640
dc.identifierPMC11704639
dc.identifier39780997
dc.identifier.urihttps://repo.dare.co.zw/handle/123456789/251292
dc.languageEnglish
dc.languageen
dc.publisherWorld Health Organization
dc.relationBulletin of the World Health Organization
dc.relation1
dc.relation103
dc.rightshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectResearch
dc.titleMedicine availability and affordability for paediatric cancers, China
dc.typeJournal articles

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