Sickle cell disease is a life-threatening haematological condition described as the most neglected global health problem today. There are enough data to show the enormous health, economic, and social cost of sickle cell disease worldwide, and yet, the condition remains a low priority in the agenda of governments, and the haematology and global health communities. There is also enough evidence on simple, effective interventions that could substantially improve the lives of people with sickle cell disease, but after a decade of achievements in terms of new therapeutic options in development, including gene therapy, great inequity remains.

This Lancet Haematology Commission—a diverse group of experts in sickle cell disease, along with patients and activists—was established to devise a set of recommendations to achieve greater political commitment, investment, and partnerships to improve the lives of patients with sickle cell disease globally in the next decades. The Commission arrives at a unique moment to be transformational for the sickle cell disease community by galvanising key regional initiatives. With political will, education, and effective collaboration between all stakeholders, positive change can be attained. The path to achieve safe and accessible cures globally by 2040, as set out in this report, should be a priority of the development agenda in the next decade.