Lance Armstrong addresses plenary session

Today, cancer survivor and advocate Lance Armstrong spoke at the plenary session before 2,000 dignitaries at the World Cancer Congress in Montréal.

He announced that his Foundation was making a $500,000 commitment and entering into a three-year joint initiative with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) – Expanding Global Access to Essential Medicines and Technologies.

The Foundation is continuing its efforts to expand access to health and palliative care by investing $500,000 in a new three-year partnership with the UICC. Expanding Global Access to Essential Medicines and Technologies, the initiative with UICC, will advance international advocacy to ensure targets for essential medicines at global and national levels; create an on-the-ground success story for access to essential medicines and elevate patient voices.

The Foundation and UICC plan to set ambitious, but achievable targets for essential medicines. They are developing a replicable, cost-effective model for improving access to pain relief in collaboration with Partners in Health and the Global Access to Pain Relief Initiative, beginning with two hospitals in Haiti. They plan to elevate patient voices by providing key roles for cancer survivors at major conferences and in public awareness campaigns around the world.