- 2 years ago
16 March 2025
The AstraZeneca and Alexion team have run away with the Kosi Challenge Pharma Cup this year in one of the most convincing wins in years, the 66 members of the AZscends smashing their fundraising efforts from 2024 to take home the Pharma Cup for the second consecutive year.
With the tally for Rare Cancers Australia closing in on $650,000 on Sunday, RCA was still well short of its ambitious $750,000 target but, given the fundraising tally had already surpassed last year’s effort of $635,000, teams were on track for another fundraising record.
The AZ/Alexion team members raised more than $70,000 in individual donations, the company chipping in $15,000 in matched donations – although AZ was already well ahead of the GSKlimbers in second place on $40,000, raised solely in individual donations.
The MSD Mountaineers came in third with $34,327 raised that included $5,000 from the company, while Roche chipped in $13,470 in dollar-for-dollar matched donations to put its team in fourth place while Merck Healthcare also matched dollar-for-dollar its team’s efforts to get it into fifth place on the final leader board.
Cencora World Couriers put in the largest corporate donation, its $15,820 helping its team of eight members take out the Corporate Cup with a total fundraising effort of $25,232, knocking out a superb effort from the SoWhat? research team whose 13 members raised more than $21,000 in individual donations and had no corporate support.
Formerly Dani’s Dynamos, this year DJs Dynamos took out the Kosi Cup with a fundraising tally of $42,735.
It was the third year the team competed in the Kosi Challenge after RCA “made a real difference for our wife/mum/daughter/sister/cousin Danielle following her diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer, and we will be forever grateful for their support”.
“This year, in March, we also climb in honour of another dear family member, our husband/dad Jason, who bravely battled GBM.”
The teams had perfect weather for the hike up to the highest point in Australia, this year’s efforts making a difference for RCA and the hundreds of patients it supports each year through its patient support network and ongoing advocacy for people living with rare and less common cancers.
©MedNews 2025