Supportive Care

The growing need to include supportive care services across the whole spectrum of oncology is a result of the following factors:¹

• The arrival of new cancer therapies
• Expected growth and ageing of the population
• Better survival rates (cancer patients now live nearly six times longer after their cancer diagnosis compared to 40 years ago) 
• Associated costs of care
   

There is a growing body of evidence to show that timely access to supportive treatments can lead to improvements in survival and quality of life for patients, whilst also proving beneficial to the health economy.¹ 

Oncology supportive care should therefore be considered essential, not just an optional extra.¹ 

Cancer patients in South Africa often face high out-of-pocket medical costs.² These extra costs can prevent or delay access to important medical care.² One of the priorities of the National Cancer Strategic Framework for South Africa is to improve access to treatment by reducing financial, geographic, logistical and socio-cultural barriers.² This highlights the need for high-quality, affordable generic oncology medicines for both treatment and supportive care.

Sandoz South Africa has a growing portfolio of supportive oncology medications and we are committed to improving the affordability of – and access to – high-quality generic medications for South African cancer patients and healthcare providers.³