Overall, less than 5% of eligible adults participate in cancer clinical trials. In the retrospective cohort study, Zaorsky and colleagues gathered demographic and clinical information from the National Cancer Database on more than 12 million patients with 4 to 6 types of cancer between 2004 and 2015. They found that among these patients, only 11,577 (0.1%) participated in clinical trials as their first course of cancer therapy after diagnosis.
A greater proportion of trial participants vs. nonparticipants were white (88% vs. 84.8%), had metastatic disease (30.9% vs. 16.4%), had private/managed care insurance (56.4% vs. 41.8%) and had fewer comorbidities (Charlson-Deyo score 0, 81.9% vs. 75.7%). Univariate and stratified analyses showed patients with cancer who participated in clinical trials also had longer median OS (60 vs. 52.5 months; HR = 0.876; 95% CI, 0.845-0.907) than those not enrolled in a trial.
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 50189
Times Visited: 1421 Ampronix, a Top Master Distributor for Sony Medical, provides Sales, Service & Exchanges for Sony Surgical Displays, Printers, & More. Rely on Us for Expert Support Tailored to Your Needs. Email info@ampronix.com or Call 949-273-8000 for Premier Pricing.
Zaorsky spoke about the need to make trials more inclusive, the importance of removing patient barriers and the lifesaving potential of clinical trial participation as a first intervention.
So, how does the United States compare with other countries in clinical trial accrual? According to the data, clinical trial accrual in the U.S. is very low among patients with cancer compared with other developed countries. There are some areas in Europe where, for certain cancers, accrual is in the teens, 20s or 30s. So overall, as a nation, the doctors thinks we could be doing better.
For biotech and pharma companies offering trials, the potential for new and potentially blockbuster treatments is significant. Major companies capable of playing a major role include:
Merck & Co. offers therapeutic and preventive agents to treat cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, chronic hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 infection, intra-abdominal, fungal infection, insomnia, and inflammatory diseases; neuromuscular blocking agents; cholesterol modifying medicines; and anti-bacterial and vaginal contraceptive products. Merck recently disclosed an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Taiho Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., and Astex Pharmaceuticals) focused on the development of small molecule inhibitors against several drug targets, including the KRAS oncogene, which are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer.
Pfizer Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells healthcare products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including internal medicine, vaccines, oncology, inflammation and immunology, and rare diseases. The company also provides over-the-counter medicines. Pfizer just announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion, recommending marketing authorization for RUXIENCE™ (rituximab). RUXIENCE is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and pemphigus vulgaris (PV).
