Insight

Apr 15, 2025, 09:34

Servier’s Manette Le Grange on ACT4Children and Public-Private Collaboration

During OncoDaily’s “The Essential Medicines for Children with Cancer: From Access to Action” virtual forum, Manette Le Grange, CSR Lead at Servier’s ICONIC initiative, spoke about ACT4Children and the power of cross-sector collaboration.

She outlined Servier’s work with GPACCM and the ICONIC framework to improve medicine accessibility for pediatric oncology in underserved regions.

🤝 Key messages from her session:

Significant progress is being made toward equitable access to pediatric cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries. Programs such as ACT for Children integrate innovative therapies into hospital-based systems, remove financial barriers, and establish sustainable care pathways.

Soviia, a non-profit-owned pharmaceutical company, supplies pegaspargase, an essential treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A highly subsidized version is in development for countries lacking access, ensuring availability regardless of geography or infrastructure.

ACT for Children operates through a public-private model in collaboration with WHO, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, SIOP, the Hyder Foundation, and others. The initiative supports:

Distribution of quality-assured medicines
Training for healthcare professionals
Full care pathways including diagnostics, psychosocial services, and pharmacovigilance

“We must take responsibility, not just for creating individual medicines and treatments, but for ensuring that they reach every child who needs them.”

Recent impact:

$2.3 million in donated medicines
Five hospitals reached (El Salvador, Armenia, Indonesia)
Over 300 professionals trained

This model avoids one-size-fits-all approaches by co-developing implementation plans with local institutions. The pharmaceutical industry must expand efforts to ensure that essential treatments reach every child – removing cost barriers, supporting infrastructure, and safeguarding against counterfeit drugs.

Equity in pediatric cancer care is both a moral and scientific imperative.

About the Forum

The Essential Medicines for Children with Cancer: From Access to Action by OncoDaily focuses on the WHO Essential Medicines List for Children, the new applications including Blinatumomab and Temozolomide, the challenges different low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are facing with the access to medications and the role of initiatives such as ACT4Children and the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines (GPACCM).

Essential Medicines for Children with Cancer