Direct Relief today announced the launch of a joint, multi-year initiative with Amgen and the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) to support breast cancer patients in Paraguay.

In coordination with C/Can, which has worked to advance equitable access to cancer diagnostics and treatment in Paraguay since 2017, Direct Relief will deliver Amgen-donated medications to specialized cancer treatment centers in Asuncion.

“Direct Relief is deeply appreciative to Amgen and C/Can for their leadership and initiative in providing equitable and quality access to these critical treatments,” said Damon Taugher, VP of global programs at Direct Relief. “Thanks to this collaboration, people who would otherwise be unable to access cancer therapies will be able to receive the treatments they need.”

In the short term, the initiative aims to establish a standardized methodology for achieving in-country readiness to support equitable and quality access to breast cancer diagnostics and medicines. It will also be reinforced with ongoing efforts to strengthen local infrastructure and the healthcare workforce in Paraguay’s leading cancer treatment institutions.

With support from Amgen, Direct Relief and C/Can will engage local stakeholders in bolstering Paraguay’s cancer care infrastructure and healthcare workforce, covering the areas of diagnosis, treatment, and palliative and supportive care.

“Our initiative with C/Can and Direct Relief can bring much-needed medicines to people suffering with cancer,” said Dr. Victoria Elegant, Global Lead, Access to Healthcare, at Amgen. “This will help achieve a sustainable improvement in the provision of cancer services and make an enduring difference.”

In short, the provision of donated medicines will be matched with quality improvements in the building blocks of Paraguay’s cancer-care health system, continuing C/Can’s work with local stakeholders to improve and sustain standards of care for breast cancer patients overall.

“By partnering with a global leader in cancer medicines like Amgen along with Direct Relief’s experience in cold chain logistics, we can ensure that the efforts that the city of Asunción has led through the C/Can initiative have strengthened the critical path to ensure that access to medicines is a sustainable, structures and measurable process and not limited to the delivery of donated medicines,” said C/Can CEO Isabel Mestres.