Quad nations form 'Cancer Moonshot' partnership to combat cervical cancer

The programme that will focus on expanding cervical cancer screening; increasing vaccinations against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a common sexually transmitted infection that is the primary cause of cervical cancer; and treating patients.

Prime Minister Modi participated in the Quad Cancer Moonshot event hosted by President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware.

"I'm proud to announce the Quad Cancer Moonshot to end cancer around the world, starting with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet every year 150,000 women in the Indo-Pacific die from it. We cannot and will not let that continue," US President Joe Biden said in a statement that was posted on his X account.

PM Modi retweeted Biden's post and said, "India fully supports this initiative. Let's collectively work to strengthen the fight against cancer!"

Building on the Quad's successful partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, their collective investments to address cancer in the region, scientific and medical capabilities, and contributions from private and non-profit sectors, the leaders said they will collaborate with partner nations to reduce the burden of cancer in the region, the Quad statement released on Saturday said.

"Today we are proud to announce the Quad Cancer Moonshot, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region," it read.

The Quad Cancer Moonshot will focus initially on combatting cervical cancer--a preventable cancer that continues to claim too many lives--in the Indo-Pacific region, while laying the groundwork to address other forms of cancer as well.

The US intends to support this initiative, including through US Navy medical training and professional exchanges around cervical cancer prevention in the region starting in 2025, and through US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) openness to finance eligible private sector-driven projects to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, including cervical cancer, the statement said.

As per the statement, Australia is announcing the expansion of the Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer Program (EPICC) with support of the Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation to Australian Dollar (AUD) 29.6 million, to cover up to eleven countries in the Indo-Pacific in helping advance the elimination of cervical cancer and support complementary initiatives focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

India said it will share technical expertise in digital health through its National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal. As part of its USD 10 million commitment to support the World Health Organization (WHO) led Global Initiative on Digital Health, India will provide technical assistance to the Indo-Pacific region. This includes offering technical support for the use of its National Non-Communicable Disease portal, which tracks long-term data on cancer screening and care.

"I heartily congratulate President Biden for organizing this important event. This reflects our shared commitment to affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare. During the Covid pandemic, we had launched the "QUAD Vaccine Initiative" for the Indo-Pacific. And, I am pleased that in QUAD, we have collectively decided to tackle a challenge like cervical cancer, PM Modi said.

He said in Cancer Care, Collaboration is essential for Cure. "An integrated approach encompassing prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment is essential to reduce the burden of cancer. India has a very cost-effective ongoing cervical cancer screening program on a mass scale. Additionally, India also runs the world's largest health insurance scheme. And, special centres have also been created to make medicines available to everyone at an affordable cost. India has also developed its own vaccine for cervical cancer. And new treatment protocols are being launched with the assistance of AI."

"India is ready to share its experience and expertise. Today, many experts from India working in cancer care have joined us for this event. India's vision is "One Earth, One Health." In this spirit, I am pleased to announce our contribution of USD 7.5 million for sampling kits, detection kits, and vaccines under the Quad Moonshot Initiative. India will also offer support in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building" PM Modi said at the QUAD Leaders' Cancer Moonshot Event, a statement by the MEA read.

"I am delighted to share that, through the initiatives of GAVI and the QUAD, India will contribute 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries. These 40 million vaccine doses will become rays of hope in the lives of crores of people. As you can see, when the QUAD acts, it is not just for nations - it is for the people. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach," PM Modi stated.

India committed to providing HPV sampling kits, detection tools and cervical cancer vaccines worth USD 7.5 million to the Indo-Pacific region. This significant contribution aims to strengthen local efforts to prevent and detect cervical cancer and empower communities with affordable, accessible tools for early detection and prevention, while supporting vaccination programs to reduce the disease burden across the region.

India is scaling up population-based screening for oral, breast, and cervical cancers through its National Progamme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. In particular, India uses the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) method for cervical cancer screening, which is simple, cost effective and efficient and allows healthcare workers to detect early signs of cervical cancer without the need for advanced laboratory infrastructure, making it a model for other regions in the Indo-Pacific.

India is expanding access to specialized cancer treatment centers under its "Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer Centres" program. The Government of India is supporting both states and union territories to improve treatment capacity across the county, ensuring that people from all parts of the country, including underserved areas, can receive high-quality care.

India is committed to affordable cancer treatment through Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). As part of its broader health coverage efforts, PMJAY, India is committed to providing affordable cancer treatments to its citizens, ensuring financial protection for those most in need.

India's commitment to cervical cancer elimination is further supported by implementation research led by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The research is focused on enhancing cervical cancer screening, early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. The results and findings will be shared with the Indo-Pacific countries in the coming years, to strengthen regional collaboration.

Japan is providing medical equipment, including CT and MRI scanners, and other assistance worth approximately USD 27 million, including in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, and is contributing to international organizations such as the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. Quad partners also intend to work, within respective national contexts, to collaborate in advancing research and development in the area of cancer and to increase private sector and non-governmental sector activities in support of reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the region.

"We welcome a number of new, ambitious commitments from non-governmental institutions, including the Serum Institute of India, in partnership with Gavi, which will support orders of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses, subject to necessary approvals, for the Indo-Pacific region, and which may be increased consistent with demand. We also welcome a new USD 100 million commitment from the Women's Health and Empowerment Network to address cervical cancer in Southeast Asia," the Quad statement said.

The statement added that the scientific experts assess that the Quad Cancer Moonshot will save hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decades. (ANI)