WHO targets child-friendly cancer drug formulations amid treatment gap
WHO in January 2024 launched its first list of priority childhood cancer drug formulations, naming six medicines that still lack optimal child-friendly versions. The agency says about 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer each year and is working to expand access to safe, effective paediatric formulations.
The World Health Organization in January 2024 launched its first list of priority childhood cancer drug formulations, identifying six medicines with paediatric indications that still lacked optimal, child-friendly versions. The move comes as about 400,000 children and adolescents aged between 0 and 19 years develop cancer every year, while a treatment gap persists in access to these drugs and formulations that suit children’s age groups.
The drugs include cyclophosphamide, etoposide, mercaptopurine, methotrexate, procarbazine, and temozolomide. According to WHO, globally, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common type of childhood cancer, followed by non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms tumour, Burkitt lymphoma, and retinoblastoma.
In November last year, WHO came up with new guidelines for drug formulations, specifically for children with cancer. WHO said the six new drug profiles offer pharmaceutical manufacturers a clear technical roadmap to develop optimised, child-appropriate formulations, helping address a critical global treatment gap.
The new medicines still in the pipeline will have defined characteristics that favour children. These include the drug’s safety, efficacy, pharmaceutical form, dosing flexibility, acceptability, stability, packaging, cost, and regulatory requirements.
WHO said the target profiles will facilitate the inclusion of appropriate doses in the WHO’s Expression of Interest list, encouraging generic manufacturers to develop and register the child-focused formulations. WHO is currently working with Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations partners to engage manufacturers and procurement agencies in the production and distribution of essential medicines for childhood cancer.
The goal at the moment is to assess the market, streamline manufacturing, secure regulatory approvals, and ensure the supply of these safe and effective formulations. Once authorised, the products could be included in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children, allowing countries to procure them directly, through partners, or via the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, funded by St. Jude in collaboration with WHO.