Cancer United

This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin.

Cancer United is a pharmaceutical industry front group established by the Weber Shandwick public relations firm and funded entirely by Roche.

In August 2006, Guardian journalist Sarah Boseley wrote ahead of the group's launch that it "is being presented as a pioneering effort by a coalition of doctors, nurses and patients to push for equal access to cancer care across the EU. However, the campaign is being entirely funded by Roche, the maker of Herceptin and Avastin. A senior company executive sits on the board. The company's PR firm, Weber Shandwick has been heavily promoting the group to clinicians and journalists. The principal study on which the group is based was also funded by Roche Laboratories and has been hotly contested.

Contact Details

Web: http://www.cancerunited.org/

Articles & sources

SourceWatch Resources

• Health Care
• Midwest Heart Foundation
• Doctor Run Charities
• Patient Groups/Australia
• Patient Groups/Europe
• Patient Groups/International
• Patient Groups/UK
• Patient Groups/US
• Patient Groups/Canada
• Roche
• Pharmaceutical industry
• War on Cancer

External articles

• Faisal Islam , "Roche faces cancer probe", Channel Four, October 19, 2006.
• Sarah Boseley and David Gow, "Support for cancer group naive, says MP", Guardian (UK), October 20, 2006.
• Sarah Boseley, "Hiding behind the patients: Of course drug companies have a voice in the debate about cancer care. But they should be more open about it", Comment IS Free (Guardian blog), October 20, 2006.
• David Miller 'This campaign brought to you by...' Spinwatch, 29 October 2006.