Novartis has committed $7.5 million to an initiative aiming to save 100,000 lives by 2035. The money will launch Zero Prostate Cancer’s Blitz the Barriers, a project designed to address disparities in health outcomes for prostate cancer patients.
Prostate cancer nonprofit Zero, which has worked with Cleveland Diagnostics and Johnson & Johnson, said it will use education, outreach and technology to tackle barriers to care, with Black men, veterans and rural underserved communities high on the list of groups targeted by the initiative.
Black men are 75% more likely to develop aggressive, metastatic disease and two times more likely to die than white men, Zero said, and veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed as the rest of the general population. Factors such as systemic bias can contribute to health disparities for these patient groups regardless of income level, according to the nonprofit.
Blitz the Barriers is focused on addressing those statistics. Zero will pilot the project in Atlanta and Baltimore, both of which have “significant disparities in prostate cancer health outcomes,” per the organization. After setting the project up in those cities, Zero plans to expand into 10 more high-risk urban and rural communities in the U.S., including Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Detroit and Houston.
Novartis is committing $7.5 million to the project, providing a jumpstart to Zero’s bid to raise $20 million total for the initiative. The nonprofit will use the money to set up educational and screening-focused collaborations with local organizations such as community centers, faith-based groups, fraternities and barbershops. Zero said it will also support caregivers, lobby for legislative change and try to clear barriers to participation in clinical trials.
The Swiss drugmaker said the work with local communities could help overcome skepticism and build trust. Novartis also highlighted the launch of a personalized patient navigation program to provide one-on-one support and guidance. The work is part of Novartis’ push to ensure patients can access and benefit from advances in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Novartis, too, could profit from better access to care. Pluvicto, the company’s radiopharmaceutical prostate cancer therapy, generated (PDF) sales of $1.4 billion last year. Novartis plans to build on the 42% growth seen in 2024 by launching the drug in the pre-taxane setting in the first half of this year.
With the launch imminent and supply now unconstrained, Novartis has stepped up its promotion of the radiopharmaceutical. Pluvicto topped the TV drug ad spending charts in January as its maker pumped $47 million into the promotion of a product it predicts can generate peak sales of $6 billion or more.