On November 19, 2023, the Yttrium Little Red Flower Health Fund Project was officially launched in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. This is an assistance project initiated by the Henan Sunshine Medical Health Development Foundation (abbreviated as the Foundation) and supported by Wuhan Shetai Medical Technology Co. Ltd. (abbreviated as Wuhan Shetai Medical) which is the subsidiary of Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited for low-income patients meeting the criteria for the treatment of Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection. Experts and professors from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital and other medical institutions, as well as relevant persons in charge of Wuhan Shetai Medical, participated in the official launch of the project.
Director Zhang Yijing of Henan Sunshine Medical Health Development Foundation introduced the patient assistance project to all the honored guests. The Yttrium Little Red Flower Health Fund Project (“Yttrium” and “one” are pronounced similarly in Chinese and this pun was inspired by a movie about cancer patients) provides financial assistance to Chinese nationals over the age of 18 with hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer liver metastases. Patients from low-income families, who have received internal radiation surgery treatment, will be eligible to apply for assistance. After the application is approved, depending on the family’s out-of-pocket expenses, the Foundation will provide financial assistance to help patients receive timely treatment and reduce financial pressure. The project was officially launched on 19 November and will end in March 2024, during which time the required funds will be raised and the assistance will be provided.
Grand Pharma’s Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection was approved for marketing in January 2022 by the National Medical Products Administration. For over a year, Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection treatment has been carried out in more than 30 hospitals in China, treating more than 600 liver cancer patients. Experts said that compared with ordinary radiotherapy techniques, Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere treatment has the advantages of higher radiation dose, smaller radiation range, more precise action, less impact on the patient’s body and fewer side effects. For primary or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma that cannot be resected or ablated, with compensated liver function and good systemic condition, Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection selective internal radiation therapy can effectively control tumor progression and significantly prolong patients’ survival time. In addition, experts gave positive comments on Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection in down-stage transformation, late-stage salvage therapy, and combination therapy with targeting and immunization, etc., indicating that Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection will bring more chances of healing for patients with liver cancer.
Wang Li, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Henan Sunshine Medical Health Development Foundation, announced the official launch of the Yttrium Little Red Flower Health Fund Project, which aims to reduce the medical burden of low-income liver cancer patients. She said that the project, fully supported by benevolent enterprises, will help liver cancer patients to get rid of their difficulties and rebuild their confidence in the pursuit of a healthy life, bringing new hope to liver cancer patients. The Foundation will work with the power of all communities to continuously carry out medical assistance and respond positively to “Healthy China 2030” blueprint introduced by the state with practical actions.
Prof. Wang Zhihui of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University said: “China is a country with a large number of liver cancer patients. As liver cancer emerges insidiously without any symptom in early stage, progresses rapidly and has high malignancy, most patients are already in the local advanced stage or have distant metastasis when they are diagnosed, thus losing the best timing of treatment. Therefore, liver cancer patients must be diagnosed and treated early and closely cooperate with doctors to take positive and effective treatment. Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection internal radiation therapy can be used alone or in combination with other comprehensive treatment modalities, such as biological, immune and targeted treatment modalities, to bring more significant clinical benefits to a wide range of liver cancer patients”.
Huang Wentao, General Manager of Wuhan Shetai Medical, said that Grand Pharma is committed to becoming a technologically innovative and international pharmaceutical company that is benefit both patients and doctors and contribute to a better society. As a subsidiary of Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited, Wuhan Shetai Medical is deeply engaged in the field of oncology treatment, focusing on the unmet clinical needs of oncology treatment. He noted that introducing and developing internal radiation therapy drugs for liver cancer patients in China is a solid step towards realizing our corporate vision; making international-level therapeutic drugs affordable to low-income patients is the direction of our unremitting efforts. We hope that this assistance project can help low-income liver cancer patients receive better treatment and face a better and healthier life.
According to the current organization of the Yttrium Little Red Flower Health Fund Project of Henan Sunshine Medical Health Development Foundation will cooperate with relevant hospitals nationwide. The partner hospitals will develop standardized, individualized and continuous optimal treatment plans for liver cancer patients, and provide a good guarantee for the whole process, laying the foundation for the eradication of liver cancer in the future. The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, as the partner hospitals, on behalf of the hospitals designated to receive the project application nationwide, received the plaque of designated hospitals at the launching ceremony.
It is reported that China has over 70 hospitals with more than 400 doctors trained in the theory or skills of Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection operation, and a number of hospitals have opened specialized Yttrium-90 [90Y] outpatient service to meet the clinical needs of patients. The clinical popularization of Yttrium-90 [90Y] Microsphere Injection interventional radiotherapy will be accelerated in the future, benefiting the majority of patients with liver tumors and bringing new hope of cure to patients and their families!
The medical assistance, conducted by Wuhan Shetai Medical in partnership with the Foundation, designated hospitals and other organizations in the community, aims to provide low-income liver cancer patients with better treatment that enables them to positively embrace a healthy and bright future.
