Prostate cancer patients covered by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) can now access an innovator prescription drug manufactured and distributed by Janssen Kenya, one of the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, as part of a strategic development to expand access to quality treatment regimes in Kenya.

Following the signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NHIF and Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Janssen Kenya) on Wedneday, the prescription drug, Abiraterone Acetate used for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer will be made available to NHIF members within their existing benefits package.

Speaking after witnessing the MoU signing by NHIF and Janssen, Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache in a speech read on her behalf by NHIF Chairperson Lewis Nguyai described the partnership as a landmark development that will help boost the local access to innovator drugs.

The Ministry of Health and NHIF, she said, has been actively engaging innovative pharmaceutical companies to seal similar private-public partnership agreements that will facilitate access to innovator drugs at affordable rates.

“The Ministry of Health and NHIF has sealed this landmark MoU with Janssen as part of our ongoing foundation building to ensure the success of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) national rollout. We are proud to be associated with Janssen for taking the lead in opening up access to an innovator drug such as Abiraterone Acetate, which will enhance positive health outcomes for prostate cancer patients,” Mochache said.

Visiting Senior Vice President for Emerging Markets at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson Asgar Rangoonwala reiterated the company´s commitment to boosting access to innovative medicines in emerging economies.

The company, he confirmed, is pursuing public-private partnerships to enhance access to safe, effective medicines and vaccines in developing countries for the most vulnerable patients.

“At Janssen, we are committed to advancing medical innovations that address unmet health needs in resource-limited settings. The MoU signed with NHIF is one of our partnerships to rollout new access models and equitable pricing strategies that improve the availability of our medicines to patients in emerging countries such as Kenya.” said Rangoonwala.

By Fred Odanga Azelwa.