Roche Nigeria has unveiled a new initiative to provide zero-cost immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing for breast cancer patients, in a move aimed at expanding access to precision diagnostics and reducing financial barriers to appropriate treatment.

The initiative, known as CareLink, is open to Nigerians diagnosed with breast cancer and is designed to address one of the fundamental challenges in cancer care: ensuring that patients undergo accurate biomarker testing before treatment begins. IHC testing helps determine the biological characteristics and subtype of a breast cancer, information that can guide clinicians in selecting the most appropriate treatment.

The CareLink programme comes amid growing calls for Nigeria to strengthen cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, particularly as high out-of-pocket healthcare costs continue to limit access to specialised services.

Roche said limited access to and the high costs of diagnostic testing remain significant barriers to personalised cancer care in Nigeria. The company said more than 30 per cent of breast cancer patients in the country begin treatment without knowing their specific cancer subtype. According to the company, inadequate or unavailable IHC testing can contribute to inappropriate treatment decisions and poorer outcomes.

Through CareLink, Roche said it would remove the cost barrier for eligible patients by providing IHC testing at no charge, while also working towards a sustainable framework for integrating the service into health insurance coverage and reducing out-of-pocket expenditure. The programme is currently being piloted at the National Hospital Abuja (NHA) and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife. The two facilities are equipped with high-throughput automated IHC staining systems.

Roche said the partner laboratories were expected to provide test results within seven working days, while the National Hospital Abuja currently records turnaround times of between three and five days.

To extend access beyond the two centres, healthcare supply-chain company DrugStoc will support patient onboarding and the transportation of samples from participating health facilities across the country to the hub laboratories.

The initiative follows advocacy efforts that contributed to IHC testing being included on Nigeria’s national essential in-vitro diagnostic list. Roche said patients enrolled under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) would not need to re-register to participate in the programme.

The company also highlighted its existing partnership with the NHIA on breast cancer therapies under a 50/30/20 cost-sharing arrangement. Under the arrangement, Roche covers 50 per cent of the cost, the NHIA through health maintenance organisations covers 30 per cent, while the patient pays the remaining 20 per cent.

Speaking at the virtual launch, Acting General Manager, Roche Nigeria, Dr Bola Oyedeji, said CareLink was part of the company’s efforts to improve access to diagnostics and complement government initiatives aimed at transforming cancer care in Nigeria. He described the initiative as a model of public-private collaboration designed to ensure that medical innovations reach patients who need them.

Oyedeji said Roche’s pharmaceutical and diagnostics divisions worked together to address healthcare challenges that place a significant burden on patients, families and the health system.

He said the high burden of breast cancer in Nigeria made improved diagnosis and treatment particularly urgent.

According to him, breast cancer remains the most common cancer in Nigeria, making it imperative to strengthen the country’s capacity for early detection, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

“We are seeking to promote early detection through awareness, early diagnosis, capacity building as well, and treatment,” Oyedeji said. “Our aim is to deliver a standard of care, especially in early breast cancer, because when patients are caught early and treated early, they have a chance to live longer and healthier lives.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, reiterated the Federal Government’s readiness to support efforts to expand immunohistochemistry capacity nationwide.

Pate, who was represented by the National Coordinator, National Cancer Control and Nuclear Medicine Programme in the ministry, Dr Uchechukwu Nwokwu, said the partnership between Roche and the NHIA was contributing to improved access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.

He described the inclusion of IHC as a standard component of essential diagnostics as a significant milestone towards accurate and individualised breast cancer treatment. The minister also urged Nigerians to enrol in social health insurance schemes to benefit from available financial protection for healthcare.

The Director-General of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, said the authority hoped that CareLink would help reduce catastrophic health expenditure and ease the financial burden associated with breast cancer on patients and their families.

Ohiri, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Accreditation, Standards and Quality Assurance Department, NHIA, Dr Adebimpe Afolarin, said access to accurate diagnostics was central to precision medicine. “Precision medicine is impossible without precise diagnostics,” he said.

He commended Roche for working with national institutions to improve standards of care and expand access to precision testing, expressing optimism that the initiative would contribute to improved breast cancer survival rates.

Ohiri reaffirmed NHIA’s commitment to continued collaboration with Roche to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare and strengthen financial protection for Nigerians.

The Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Aliyu, described CareLink as an important initiative with the potential to improve access to timely and quality breast cancer diagnosis.

Aliyu, represented by the Director of Clinical Services, NICRAT, Prof. Musa Ali-Gombe, said breast cancer remained the most common cancer in Nigeria and that advances in cancer treatment globally could only benefit Nigerian patients if they had access to accurate diagnostic testing.

He said many patients in Nigeria experienced delays in obtaining the tests needed to identify specific cancer subtypes, with financial constraints among the factors contributing to the problem. According to him, CareLink was timely because removing financial barriers to IHC testing could help improve coordination among clinicians, pathology laboratories and cancer centres.

“This programme will help ensure that patients receive the right diagnosis at the right time, leading to informed treatment decisions and definitely improving outcomes for our patients,” he said.

Aliyu said NICRAT remained committed to supporting partnerships aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s national cancer control efforts and improving outcomes for patients. He said limited access to IHC represented a foundational diagnostic challenge in breast cancer management because treatment decisions depended on accurately identifying the characteristics and subtype of the disease.

“By addressing limited access to IHC in Nigeria, you are fixing the root and foundational issues of diagnostics, making sure that patients are receiving treatments for the correct subtypes of their breast cancer,” he said.

He added that where diagnosis was inaccurate or not properly conducted, treatment outcomes could be adversely affected.

Aliyu commended Roche Nigeria and other implementing partners for the initiative and expressed optimism that the programme would be successfully expanded across the country.

Executive Director of Project Pink Blue, Runcie Chidebe, also welcomed the initiative, noting that the combination of accurate diagnostics and access to appropriate medicines was important in tackling the burden of cancer on patients, families and the healthcare system.