Collaborating against breast cancer

In this episode we learn about a partnership that is successfully addressing the deadliest form of cancer affecting women — breast cancer. Since it began in 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Breast Cancer Initiative has aimed to reduce breast cancer by 2.5% per year. Over a 20-year period achieving that would save 2.5 million lives. 

Dr. Mary Nyangasi, WHO’s Technical Lead for the programme, says that since the initiative was launched as a pilot programme in select cities globally, it has generated lessons for both local and national healthcare systems. Notes Alexander Roediger, Associate Vice President of Global Oncology Policy for MSD, “To beat cancer you need quick action and strong infrastructure, you need screening and diagnosis, you need quick referral to cancer doctors and the right treatment. All this is much more than we as a company developing and researching new treatments can do.”

Published on: 17 December 2025