In celebration of World CML Day, Novartis Egypt and HAYAH, an advocacy group founded by the Egyptian Society of Hematology and Research and dedicated to supporting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients, organized a forum to raise awareness and provide CML patients with the resources that will help them live their best life possible. Worldwide, almost 1.2 to 1.5 million people live with CML and about 15% of all leukemia cases are CML. Renowned hematologist, Dr Mervat Mattar, Professor of Hematology at Cairo University said, "World CML Day is a day to celebrate the progress achieved in managing this disease. We are always keen to participate in dedicated awareness and educational events to support CML patients as best as we can. "CML is a cancer involving the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow making too many white blood cells which results in a significantly enlarged spleen, the spread of cancer cells to the bone marrow, and severe anemia . The condition may also evolve into an acute blood or myeloid cancer," Dr Mattar said, "CML treatment has undergone a significant transformation. Patients used to require chemotherapy, but now oral targeted therapies are used to uniquely attack cancer cells, leading to remission or even a complete cure, with treatment suspended as a result. It is important to note that all CML therapeutics are available in Egypt, free of charge, via the Ministry of Health." "ESHR has extended its ongoing support to CML patients via awareness and education-focused initiatives. We aim to further expand this support by designating HAYAH as a full-fledged resource dedicated to supporting patients living with CML. Patients' self-driven efforts to expand their knowledge and stay up-to-date on the most recent developments in the CML space, including the monitoring and management of symptoms, as well as treatment adherence, is the group's definitive success factor," Dr Matter added. "At Novartis, we strive towards ensuring open and transparent dialogue with patient organizations as detailed in our Commitment to Patients and Caregivers. We consider patient organizations to be key partners in our decision-making throughout the medicines' lifecycle and we firmly believe that integrating the patient perspective into this process can truly help us develop better medicines. We are proud of our track record of working with patient organizations all around the world to ensure that patients' voices are heard," Sherif Amin, Country President of Novartis Pharma Egypt, said, "Understanding firsthand patients' evolving needs helps us enhance the meaningful support that we provide. I am very happy to join hands with HAYAH and ESHR to foster greater awareness and help patients tackle the everyday challenges they face." "We are deeply committed to transforming the lives of people living with blood cancers and serious blood disorders. We believe that anyone living with these conditions has the right to a life free of pain, free of symptoms, and free of disease – this is our vision for the future4. Novartis has a long-standing scientific commitment to patients living with CML. For more than 20 years, our bold science has helped transform CML into a chronic disease for many patients. We continue to reimagine CML care through our commitment to sustainable access for patients and collaboration with the CML community. Our partnership with HAYAH and ESHR is an on-ground demonstration of this pledge, and we are proud to continuously strengthen and expand our collaboration," Amin added.
