Today, every second man and every third woman will develop cancer in their lifetime. That’s more than 1.9 million people around the world who will hear the sobering phrase every year: “You have cancer.”
Although there have been significant advances in treatment options over the last decade – with increasingly targeted and personalized services – these innovations present a number of new challenges. For example, how can we advance the treatment options for cancer patients together? How do we ensure that equity in health is achieved? Why is community care so critical to better outcomes?
This is where McKesson, a trusted, experienced and diversified healthcare services company, can make a difference. It is based on a commitment to provide products and services that improve accessibility and affordability.
Although McKesson is best known for the North American pharmaceutical and medical distribution arm of his business, it’s so much more. The Company’s integrated portfolio of oncology businesses aims to support every aspect of cancer care; From advancing specialty care and early human clinical trials, to increasing access to advanced therapies and enabling world-class oncology care close to where you live. Cancer is a journey; Therefore, the importance of community oncology is critical to McKesson, whose core mission is to improve health outcomes for all.
“We have a strong presence in community oncology,” said Brian Tyler, CEO of McKesson. “We’re helping to support the development and adoption of increasingly exciting therapies that are taking us away from a point in cancer care where we’re not just trying to survive, we’re actually thinking about a cure.”
The company’s combined strengths provide differentiated value for many biopharmaceutical companies and providers, enabling patients to benefit from next-generation cancer care. McKesson is committed to tackling health care inequalities by first improving access to health care. This is done through the US Oncology Network (“The Network”), the largest network of independent physician-owned oncology practices in the United States. The network helps advance local cancer care by equipping oncologists with insights, corporate support and technology that enable their practices to deliver quality care.
In addition to bringing cancer care closer to the home environment, McKesson works to address the challenges associated with identifying, enrolling and retaining patients in clinical trials. The Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), a joint venture with McKesson, is a fully integrated oncology research organization advancing cancer care for thousands of cancer patients each year. In addition to helping connect patients to clinical trials and advanced therapies closer to home, SCRI contributes to critical research that has led to most of the new cancer therapies approved by the FDA today.
Ontada, McKesson’s oncology data and technology company, is also working to transform the fight against cancer by harnessing the power of vendor technology, real-world oncology data, clinical education and research. Its mission is to generate oncology insights at the intersection of technology and data analysis, provide evidence that accelerates life science research, and provide community providers with a technology suite that supports precise cancer treatment and improves patient outcomes.
Looking ahead, McKesson predicts that the number of patients with cancer will change. There will be more survivors, more cures, and more information that will lead to better health outcomes. For many, cancer is becoming a chronic disease rather than a fatal one. Ultimately, McKesson’s continued commitment to transforming cancer care will have a lasting impact on millions of people around the world.