Fighting Cancer on a Bike

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is hosting the Continent 2 Continent 4 Cancer (C2C4C) ride for the first time in Latin America. The pharmaceutical subsidiaries in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru are participating in this initiative. BMS will donate proceeds to an organization that fights cancer in each country. In Mexico, the selected organization is the Mexican Association of the Fight Against Cancer (AMLCC). 

“Although there is still much to do, altruistic actions such as C2C4C contribute to achieving our goal of standardizing care and providing hope to those who need it, especially those without social security and in vulnerable conditions,” said Mayra Galindo, Director General, AMLCC. 

C2C4C is taking place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, 2022, and will cover a total of 1,800 km from Puerto Varas to the Pucon province, Chile. Of the 70 participants, 10 are part of the Mexican subsidiary. “After five months of intensive preparation, as they must endure the climatic and geographical conditions that characterize the Chilean coastal range, all of them will join the rest of their Latin American colleagues to take over from them and start their journey between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2022. We are very excited because we have the opportunity to proudly represent our country and join our company's commitment to transform people's lives through science,” said Oswaldo Bernal, General Manager, BMS Mexico. 

The C2C4C initiative started in 2014 in the US. Since its first edition, over 530 employees have been part of this event and over US$12 million have been allocated to support cancer research. “Patients are at the center of everything we do and as we work to drive progress in cancer research; we realize that we cannot do this by ourselves,” added Bernal. 

Globally, over 19 million new cancer cases are diagnosed each year and almost 10 million deaths are attributed to the disease. In Mexico, between January and August 2020, 60,421 deaths were linked to cancer, as reported by INEGI. It is estimated that in the Americas, 4 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2020, from which 1.4 million died from the disease, according to PAHO. Cancer remains as the top cause of death in the world but if detected early, it can be curable. 

BMS is committed to fighting cancer and in supporting Mexico in this battle. For example, BMS Mexico is leading a key project in breast cancer research protocols worldwide; of the 10 authors participating in the protocol, three are Mexican researchers, explained José Celaya, Medical Director, BMS Mexico, to MBN. “Today more than ever, the fight against [cancer] must be intensive and requires sustained collective actions where all the actors of the health ecosystem participate,” said Galindo.