The Pfizer Foundation Provides $15 Million Investment to Improve Breast Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Funding to Jhpiego and Partners In Health will build upon and scale successes in helping ensure timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania
• Seeks to help address disparities in breast cancer care persisting between high- and low-income countries, resulting in disproportionate mortality among women in sub-Saharan Africa
• Builds on Pfizer’s commitment to creating a world where people with cancer can live better and longer lives 

NEW YORK, January 17, 2025 – The Pfizer Foundation today progressed a three-year $15 million initiative to help improve the lives of women with breast cancer in Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania. Grant funding will be provided to global health nonprofit organizations, Jhpiego and Partners In Health, to support and scale community- and country-led efforts—developed in collaboration with ministries of health—addressing barriers to timely breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care in these countries.

“We believe everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to quality healthcare,” said Caroline Roan, President, The Pfizer Foundation and Senior Vice President, Global Health & Social Impact, Pfizer Inc. “Through this initiative, we are exploring and scaling new ways to help ensure women with breast cancer in Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania have equitable access to quality care. The Pfizer Foundation is proud to build on our longstanding collaborations with Jhpiego and Partners In Health to help improve health systems for underserved communities around the world.”

More than 2.3 million patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 alone¹,  and although the five-year survival rate in high-income countries exceeds 90 percent, it averages at just 40 percent in sub-Saharan Africa².  Women in low- and middle-income countries are typically diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease³ and may face multiple barriers to care, including complex diagnostic processes at limited healthcare facilities, shortages of trained medical professionals, financial constraints, and social stigma. Additionally, even if diagnosed, women living with breast cancer in these countries can experience a six-month delay on average before starting treatment, a critical time when the disease can progress and become more deadly. ^4,5

Funding provided will support Jhpiego and Partners In Health as they collaborate with ministers of health to address key barriers in timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. While the specific country programs will vary based on each context, three main approaches include:

• Downstaging breast cancer diagnosis: Partners aim to ensure breast cancer is detected at earlier, more treatable stages by promoting community-based screening and education, enhancing and making diagnostic services more accessible at provincial and district-level facilities, and integrating screening into primary care services.
• Accelerating access to treatment: In support of country-led efforts, Jhpiego and Partners In Health will collaborate with regional health systems to shorten the time between breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. This includes enhancing patient navigation and referral services and establishing satellite clinics to bring care closer to communities.
• Driving global engagement and learning: Partners will also focus on implementation research and evidence generation to strengthen understanding of effective breast cancer interventions, inform future investments, and share learnings with the global breast cancer community.

“While many women with breast cancer in wealthier countries have access to timely diagnostic care and treatment, far too many in sub-Saharan Africa face preventable loss due to barriers that delay access to routine cancer care,” said Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO, Jhpiego. “This partnership leverages our tools and expertise to provide care with dignity and hope, establishing a scalable model to close breast cancer care gaps wherever they persist.”

“Even when diagnostic technology for early-stage breast cancer is available in under-resourced settings like Rwanda, access still requires a woman to travel for hours—often by foot and, if possible, by bus or motorcycle—to reach a health facility that likely won’t have the tools or trained clinicians needed to treat her,” said Dr. Sheila Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Partners In Health. “This collaboration is changing that by bringing improved screening, diagnosis, and treatment directly to communities, impacting women’s health outcomes and transforming health systems at the same time.”

This initiative builds on Pfizer’s commitment to creating a world where people with cancer can live better and longer lives and the vision of Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World, which aims to expand access to quality care and close the health equity gap by enabling access to Pfizer’s full portfolio of medicines and vaccines for which Pfizer holds global rights on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries around the world, including Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania.

About The Pfizer Foundation

The mission of The Pfizer Foundation is to help build healthier communities around the world. We invest in community-led partnerships and solutions to address today’s complex global health challenges, respond to urgent health needs and empower Pfizer colleagues to make an impact where they live, work and beyond. The Pfizer Foundation is a charitable organization established by Pfizer Inc. and is a separate legal entity with distinct legal restrictions. To learn more, visit Pfizer.com/PfizerFoundation.

About Jhpiego

Jhpiego is a nonprofit global leader in the creation and delivery of transformative health care solutions for the developing world. In partnership with national governments, health experts and local communities, we build health providers’ skills and develop systems that save lives now and guarantee healthier futures for women and their families. Our aim is revolutionizing health care for the planet’s most disadvantaged people.

About Partners In Health

Founded in Haiti in 1987, Partners In Health (PIH) is a nonprofit social justice organization working to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need. Almost 40 years later, it has a documented history of pioneering effective health delivery models in partnership with governments and academic institutions around the world, providing high-quality care to millions of patients. Learn more at www.pih.org.

¹ World Health Organization. “Breast Cancer.” World Health Organization, 13 Mar. 2024, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer.
² “Addressing Inequities in Breast Cancer Treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from a Breast Cancer Surgeon in Nairobi.” www.who.int, www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/addressing-inequities-in-breast-cancer-treatment-in-sub-saharan-africa--insights-from-a-breast-cancer-surgeon-in-nairobi.
³ Tfayli, A et al. “Breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries: an emerging and challenging epidemic.” Journal of oncology vol. 2010 (2010): 490631. doi:10.1155/2010/490631
⁴ Brand, NR et al. “Delays and Barriers to Cancer Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.” The oncologist vol. 24,12 (2019): e1371-e1380. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2019-0057
⁵ Wiener AA, Hanlon BM, Schumacher JR, Vande Walle KA, Wilke LG, Neuman HB. Reexamining Time From Breast Cancer Diagnosis to Primary Breast Surgery. JAMA Surg. 2023;158(5):485–492. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2022.8388

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