Winner
Roche - Africa Breast Cancer Ambition (ABCA)
Summary of work
Breast cancer is a growing crisis across Africa, where late-stage diagnosis and systemic barriers limit survival. In response, Roche’s Africa Breast Cancer Ambition (ABCA) is a transformative, systems-wide initiative designed to transform the breast cancer care pathway and eliminate critical patient drop-offs. ABCA aims to improve 5-year survival from 5 in 10 to 8 in 10 women, reduce late-stage diagnoses from 70% to 40% and increase standard care access from 35% to 80%. Built on three pillars – standard-of-care infrastructure, sustainable financing, and digital innovation – ABCA moves beyond traditional models. It establishes pioneering public-private partnerships and integrates digital tools like AI-supported screening and patient navigation platforms to tackle the patient journey at various intervention points, with the goal to deliver improved outcomes for women and their families, while continuously expanding diagnostic capacity and training the healthcare workforce. By reframing cancer care as a transformational economic growth opportunity rather than a cost burden, the initiative delivers compounding social and economic dividends and exemplifies how equitable care can drive a sustainable business for the sponsoring company. ABCA is a scalable framework that strengthens local ownership and improves equity, serving as a blueprint to transform a complex disease pathway and improve patient outcomes.
Judges’ comments
F. Hoffmann-La Roche’s entry was an outstanding submission with a fantastic approach, clear objectives and real impact on health outcomes. It presented data on ongoing healthcare system evolution, producing impressive results for all stakeholders: patients, HCPs, payers, healthcare systems, and the company. The judges said that this was one of the best and most comprehensive submissions they’ve seen. Strong across the board.
