Dr Gevorg Tamamyan, Candidate for WHO Director-General, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Yerevan State Medical University and Editor-in-Chief of OncoDaily, talked about the importance of collaboration with pharma and staying transparent about it.
“Transparency is our strength.
A few months ago, I scheduled a meeting in Boston with Miguel Fernández Alcalde and Libby Horne, two wonderful leaders at EMD Serono, Inc., to discuss a potential partnership with OncoDaily.
Then came my nomination for WHO Director-General.
I thought about canceling the meeting because of how some people might perceive it. But then I asked myself: Why should I cancel because someone might think something?
It was a terribly stormy day in Boston. We met at their beautiful building in the Seaport, one of my favorite parts of the city.
Of course, our conversation was different from what we had originally planned. Instead of OncoDaily, we discussed how WHO and the pharma industry can become better partners in improving people’s health.
I learned a lot. We discussed stories about where our systems are failing, where decisions are delayed, and where opportunities are missed. We will talk about these another time.
But one thing became even clearer: ultimately, it is patients who suffer from our decisions and, most importantly, indecisions.
There is a tendency to demonize the pharm industry and see every interaction as a potential conflict. But without industry, how could we have achieved so much progress in medicine?
We need partnerships built on transparency, independence, and accountability. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed and properly managed.
Transparency gives you strength. You don’t need to hide your meetings or conversations. You can speak openly about what you do and why.
Another example.
A few days ago, I received the story of a 10-year-old boy from Nigeria with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma who urgently needed a medicine.
I shared his story publicly and tagged the leadership of Takeda and Pfizer, asking them to help.
Within a few hours, Takeda responded positively. The process is moving forward, and I am full of hope the boy will receive the medicine he needs.
Imagine if I had decided not to share his story because I was worried about what people might think.
I don’t care about that kind of criticism when a child’s life is at stake.
If there is even a 1% chance that speaking up could save a life, I will speak up.
This has been my approach throughout my career, and I will continue.
We must measure our success not by the number of documents we produce, meetings we organize, or new abbreviations we invent. We already have enough of those!
But by the lives we save. By the lives we improve.
WHO must bring together everyone who can contribute to better health – countries, academia, civil society, patients, and industry, with clear rules and full transparency.
And people must feel WHO’s presence in their lives. When a mother cannot get treatment for her child, when a family can’t afford medicines, or when a community faces a health emergency, people must know that there is an organization working for them.
They must know, that World Health Organization is for everyone!
WHO is for U.”
Dr. Tamamyan had first raised this case publicly a few days earlier, sharing the story of a 10-year-old boy with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma in Nigeria and calling on Takeda and Pfizer to help provide access to the treatment he urgently needed:
“I just received this information from a great childhood cancer champion and friend Dean Crowe.
A 10-year-old boy in Nigeria has relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the most curable childhood cancers.
His doctors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital have prescribed brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) as part of his treatment. He needs six 50mg doses. His family cannot afford them.
The Akanimo Cancer Foundation has asked the company for a donation or a reduced price, and has not heard back.
Takeda and Pfizer, we’re asking you to help this child. The medicine exists. The doctors are ready. Only access stands between him and a cure. This is a great medication, but no medication can be great, if patients cannot access it.
Please share, and if you have a contact at Takeda or Pfizer, reach out to us.
Geography must not decide who lives.”
Read more about Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan’s WHO candidacy: Dr Gevorg Tamamyan is Nominated as a Candidate for WHO Director-General Position
Watch HRH Princess Dina Mired’s interview with Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan: The Man Who Challenged Cancer Hierarchies