Joshua Omale, Pediatric Oncology Advocate, Innovation Council Member at Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Innovation delivers impact when Readiness exists.
Introducing innovative cancer medicines into low-resource settings is not simply a supply question. It is a systems readiness question.
Before new therapies can shift survival, systems must answer:
- Is diagnostic confirmation timely and accurate?
- Is pharmacovigilance infrastructure functional?
- Are referral pathways predictable?
- Is workforce training aligned with treatment complexity?
- Is financing structured to prevent interruption?
Innovation without readiness risks concentrating benefit in a few centers while widening internal inequities. Inovation aligned with readiness accelerates progress responsibly.
The goal is not to slow innovation. It is to ensure that innovation translates into survival, not aspiration.
Cancer system maturity is measured not by what medicines are available, but by how reliably they can be delivered.
And I think a key example of this principle in action is the work being led by ACT 4 Children which is focused on introducing innovative childhood cancer medicines into LMICs.
However, as established, it’s not only the introduction of new treatments that matters. What truly enables these medicines to reach those who need them most is ensuring health systems are equipped and ready to deliver them.
This requires:
- Clear accountability for early detection and diagnosis.
- Strong referral systems that connect communities to treatment centers.
- Ongoing workforce training in handling complex cancer care.
- A financing structure that supports access at all levels of care.
Without these components in place, innovation risks being underutilized or unevenly distributed.
We must ensure that innovation moves seamlessly through systems to reach those who need it the most.
This approach doesn’t just address the question of what new treatments are available, it ensures that systems are ready to deliver them effectively and equitably.”
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