Inside EU Health: Cancer inequalities; fast-track for pancreatic cancer treatment; counterfeit condoms

WHO warns of widening cancer survival gap as cases set to soar to 35 million by 2050

A person's chances of surviving cancer remain heavily determined by where they live and how much they earn, WHO warned on Wednesday, as it projected that annual cancer cases will rise from 20.6 million today to nearly 35 million by 2050 without urgent action.

The WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, produced with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), highlights widening inequalities in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care. 

While survival rates for many cancers have improved in wealthier countries, millions of people in low-income countries continue to die because they cannot access timely diagnosis and treatment, fewer than one in three countries include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages.

"Whether a person survives cancer should never depend on where they were born or what they earn," said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "The inequities documented in this report are not inevitable; they are the consequence of choices, and they can be reversed through stronger and unified action."

The report also points to major opportunities to reduce the growing burden of disease through prevention. Nearly four in ten cancer cases are linked to preventable risk factors, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity and infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Helicobacter pylori.

"While we are seeing reductions in some cancer rates in countries that have implemented prevention policies, progress has been too slow," said Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of IARC. "The cancer profile is evolving, increasingly driven by rising rates of obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and air pollution. Cancer prevention must remain a political priority."

EMA to fast-track promising pancreatic cancer treatment

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has begun a phased review of Revolution Medicines’ daraxonrasib for previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, accelerating access to a potential new treatment for patients with few remaining options. The decision follows positive findings from a phase 3 clinical trial comparing daraxonrasib with chemotherapy.

“The EMA's decision to include daraxonrasib in its new phased review process is an important step toward making this medicine available to patients globally as quickly as possible,” said Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Revolution Medicines, Mark A. Goldsmith. “We believe this milestone underscores both the significant unmet medical need in pancreatic cancer and the potential of daraxonrasib to address that need.”

Daraxonrasib was designated an orphan medicinal product by the EMA in April 2026 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, recognising the urgent need for therapies targeting this rare and highly lethal condition. It has also been selected under the EMA’s Cancer Medicines Pathfinder programme, which identifies medicines with the potential to address significant unmet medical needs.

Under the phased review process, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) will assess quality, non-clinical and clinical data as they become available, rather than waiting for a complete marketing authorisation application. This approach is expected to shorten the overall review timeline and could enable earlier patient access.

200,000 counterfeit condoms discovered by EU anti-fraud office

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has discovered a cross-border trafficking route responsible for distributing more than 200,000 counterfeit condoms seized in Romania, Serbia and Spain. Investigators found the goods had been falsely declared as toys, in an attempt to evade customs controls. 

In the European Union, condoms are classified as medical devices and must comply with strict health and safety requirements before entering the market, including CE certification.

"Counterfeit condoms are dangerous. They are untested, uncontrolled and unsafe. They can allow for the spread of sexually transmitted infections. That is why OLAF targeted the networks behind this illicit trade," said OLAF Director General Petr Klement.

The investigation began after OLAF received intelligence from national authorities. The analysis revealed that the products originated from the same source in China. OLAF says that it worked with Chinese authorities to identify the exporter behind the shipments.