According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), every minute a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer in the world, more than 500,000 cases of cervical tumors per year, causing the death of 260,000 people.
Mexico is no exception, it is the fourth leading cause of death in women in our country. Diagnosis is the key to change these figures, since 97% of the cases could be preventable and 90% could be curable if detected in time. Unfortunately, only 30% of women worldwide are screened for cervical cancer.
Dr. Alberto Checa, Scientific Director of ATSO PHARMA stated that “cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer and most deaths are suffered by women living in developing countries such as Mexico. The most common diagnostic test for this disease dates back 80 years, and although thanks to this test, the mortality and incidence of this type of cancer has decreased; however, this test requires infrastructure, is very insensitive and for many patients is even risky”.
Cervical cancer can be prevented with early detection. For this reason, the WHO established as a goal for this year to eradicate this disease by supporting timely diagnosis. ATSO PHARMA created a unique technology that consists in the detection of biomarkers in the blood that only appear in the presence of cancer or lesions in the cervix. This test can effectively diagnose cancerous lesions with an accuracy of 90%.
Thanks to this technology, ATSO PHARMA won the “IMPI Award for Mexican Invention”, granted for the second time by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property in order to promote the culture of protection through patents, utility models and industrial designs, in the framework of the Mexican Inventor’s Day.
Upon receiving the recognition, the executive assured that “this innovation means that very soon Mexico will provide all the women of the world with a more effective, safe, portable, economical, easy to use, less invasive and immediate screening alternative”. He also revealed that “the first prototypes will be ready this year and we hope that, just as the IMPI detected the enormous potential of this Mexican invention, we will be able to bring this diagnostic method to all women, starting with those in vulnerable situations.
This test will allow more women to have access to early diagnosis and, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, more than 275,000 lives could be saved, achieving an economic impact of 59 billion dollars a year.
Today with PREVENTIX we offer a method with a gender perspective, since in addition to being safe, portable and effective, it avoids gender violence and establishes dignified and egalitarian conditions for prevention and care of sexual and reproductive health.
This innovation, proudly Mexican, is already in the process of being registered in other countries and is a unique, large-scale, cutting-edge solution aimed at all women around the world, which will change the lives of thousands of women by transforming forever the procedures for detecting precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.
