The Max Foundation and International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (iwCLL) Partner to Enhance the Care of CLL in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

iwCLL to provide training, medical, and programmatic guidance to support implementation of access program for innovative CLL therapy in 29 LMICs over the next three years

SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Max Foundation (Max), a global nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity by delivering medication, technology, and supportive services to patients worldwide, and the International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (iwCLL), an international, nonprofit association committed to advancing the management and outcome of patients with CLL worldwide, today announced a collaboration to improve the care of people living with CLL in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

"We are thrilled to partner with iwCLL to improve outcomes in CLL in LMICs," said Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, CEO of Max. "Through this collaboration, iwCLL joins our Humanitarian Partnership for Access to Critical Treatments (Humanitarian PACT) to provide knowledge and expertise as well as to build capacity of health care institutions demonstrating a powerful commitment to advancing health equity for patients regardless of where they live."

The Humanitarian PACT is a collaboration among professional, nonprofit, and commercial organizations that share the commitment of Max to accelerate health equity by improving access to innovative medicines for people living in LMICs. Members of the Humanitarian PACT agree to invest resources and/or their unique organizational knowledge and capabilities to support the expansion of Max's proven treatment access model.

"The iwCLL is delighted to team up with the Max Foundation. It goes without saying that training of healthcare professionals in diagnosis and management of CLL goes hand-in-hand with access to medicines," said Dr Thomas Kipp, iwCLL Chairperson. "The Global partnership subcommittee of the iwCLL is committed to improving outcomes of patients living with CLL across the globe and has developed a training programme specifically for healthcare professionals in LMICs."

The iwCLL will provide training, medical, and programmatic guidance to Max team members, participating physicians, patients, and patient organizations in the countries where the access program is being implemented. The collaboration will support the recent agreement between Max and BeiGene, a global biotechnology company, to donate an innovative CLL treatment, BRUKINSA^® (zanubrutinib) for use in 29 LMICs. Max is in the process of partnering with leading physicians and their institutions in these countries to set up access pathways so these physicians can begin prescribing for appropriate patients.

CLL is the most common leukemia in adults, accounting for about one third of new cases of leukemia worldwideⁱ. Globally, there are around 40,000 deaths due to CLL per year².

About The Max Foundation

The Max Foundation is a global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 26 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring lifesaving treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope. Learn more at www.themaxfoundation.org.

About iwCLL

The iwCLL is an international, non-profit association, which is committed to creating progress regarding the management and outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia world-wide. The vision of iwCLL is a world where all patients with CLL can be cured. The iwCLL is committed to creating progress regarding the management and outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia world-wide. Learn more at www.iwcll.org

^i,2 Yao Y, Lin X, Li F, Jin J, Wang H. The global burden and attributable risk factors of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: analysis based on the global burden of disease study 2019. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35016695/

SOURCE The Max Foundation