Vara Breast Screening Platform is Launching in Egypt

Source: Press Center
www.presscenter.com/vara-breast-screening-platform-is-launching-in-egypt

Cairo: Vara, the end-to-end platform for high-quality population-based breast cancer screening, has announced its official launch in Egypt with the first three network radiology centers in Mokattam, the 6th of October, and Heliopolis. These centers are part of their ambitious roll-out plan, with 20 centers to be added within the next 12 months. The launch is facilitated in close cooperation with the healthcare business platform IHD Middle East and Africa.

Headquartered in Berlin, more than 40,000 women in the official German screening program are screened with Vara’s platform monthly. Furthermore, Vara has been collaborating with the most well-known institutions, including Cambridge University and Karolinska Institute. Earlier this year, Vara started the expansion of international markets such as Mexico, India, and now Egypt.

In Egypt, one woman dies of breast cancer every 57 minutes (Globocan 2020). The notable increase in the number of breast cancer cases in Egypt over the last few years creates a significant need for accessible breast screening as it is the key to detecting breast cancer early. In fact, even though the survival rates are above 90% for cases detected in the early stages, in Egypt, more than half of all cases are detected in the late stages where the survival rates go as low as 25% (Cancer Research UK).

Globally, mammography screening is the proven gold standard to detect breast cancer early. This is precisely why awareness of screening matters and can create a significant difference for the whole population. The Egyptian government and several institutions have also recognized this problem and launched awareness and educational campaigns on the matter. A prime example of this is the Baheya Foundation with its large donation-based hospitals that screen several hundred women daily.

Although multiple initiatives have been presented, there is still a great need for a data-driven and more accessible screening approach. Vara is building a nationwide screening program with local providers, using AI technology to provide high-quality and affordable screening to all women in Egypt.

“Our vision is to create a world in which every woman, no matter where she lives, can receive breast cancer screening at one of our partner centers. Our technology empowers the best radiologists in the world to screen many more women! Vara makes breast cancer screening affordable, measurable, and the highest quality.” – Jonas Muff, Founder & CEO of Vara.

To establish a breast cancer screening program in a cost-effective and scalable way, Vara’s team has approached the problem in a holistic manner. They cover not only the mammography process but the entire screening journey: raising awareness, removing the barriers between women and effective screening, navigating appointments, and follow-up visits after the screening.

Vara’s mission in Egypt is that receiving a high-quality mammogram at least every second year becomes a standard health routine accessible to all women above 40 years of age. For this mission, they are creating a network of strong local radiology centers. Vara is also working with businesses in the forms of public awareness campaigns, cross-promotion of products and services, and integrating high-quality and affordable screening mammography into employee health benefit plans, in partnership with IHD Middle East and Africa.

Vara’s launch in Egypt will spearhead the democratization of access to breast screening with advanced AI technology for all Egyptian women. As stated by Osama Niazy, the Managing Partner of IHD: “We are proud to be their go-to-market partner in Egypt and other markets in the future. Together with Vara, IHD is delighted to start with 3 centers in Cairo and cooperate with different stakeholders to build a wider network of centers and hospitals across the country to fulfill our common mission.”

About Vara

Founded in 2018, Vara is making breast cancer screening more effective, more measurable, and more accessible for everyone, everywhere. To democratize access to early screening around the world, Vara delivers measurable impact backed by clinical evidence. Their AI-powered software mitigates much of the human subjectivity associated with reading mammography results and reduces the repetitive work screening physicians are routinely subjected to. Globally, Vara is partnering with local providers to build breast cancer screening programs where they are needed the most.

About IHD

IHD is a healthcare business platform on a mission to empower better healthcare delivery in underserved areas in the Middle East and Africa. IHD works closely with medical technology vendors and healthcare stakeholders to transform innovative solutions into successful businesses by identifying and capitalizing on growth opportunities across the MENA region.