Patient and Stakeholder Engagement

Patient and Stakeholder Engagement

PM360 – Patient Advocates Assume a Large Role as Orphan Drug Development Expands

“Rare disease” may be the biggest misnomer in the pharmaceutical industry. Around the world, 350 million people live with conditions classified as rare because each afflicts a relatively small segment of the population. In the U.S., 30 million—nearly one in 10 Americans—suffer from one of about 7,000 known rare diseases. As it applies to this...

Consulting

The Rise of Patient Advocacy

The effects of rigorous patient advocacy are easily seen today throughout the pharmaceutical industry. Patients who suffer the debilitating effects of rare diseases are banding together to be heard in an attempt to have their conditions studied to further the development of treatments and cures. However, the influence of patient advocacy groups has not always...

Patient and Stakeholder Engagement

The Future of Patient Advocacy and Orphan Drug Development: Challenges and Opportunities

Despite advances in the orphan drug development process and the more prominent role that patient advocacy groups now play, researchers in this area still face a number of challenges. But, fortunately, increased collaboration between patient groups, industry leaders, and regulatory bodies can help overcome these hurdles. Barriers to orphan drug research include: Small population By definition,...

Clinical Research: Phase 1 - Phase 4

The Top 7 Considerations to Take When Designing Pediatric Analgesia Trials

Children aren’t little adults: Pediatric populations have needs and physiological factors that set them apart from adults. However, it’s taken time for that philosophy to catch on within the clinical research community at large. When writing protocols for trials of acute pain in pediatric populations, researchers must take these unique needs of children into account to meet regulatory...

Patient and Stakeholder Engagement

Rare Cancer Research from the Patient’s POV

The purpose of clinical research is ultimately to help patients. That may sound obvious, but all too often we forget the human side when it comes to clinical trials. For patients with rare cancers, taking their perspectives into consideration is invaluable to quality research. But what specific unmet needs do rare oncology patients have? What...

Consulting

Involving Children, Adolescents, and Parents in Pediatric Drug Development

Actively seeking the involvement of pediatric patients and their parents throughout the life cycle of a clinical trial can help drive recruitment, retention, patient satisfaction, and, ultimately, the success of the study. Involving children in clinical research has long been a sensitive topic associated with several ethical dilemmas and operational challenges. There is now a...

Clinical Research: Phase 1 - Phase 4

Clinical Trials in Rare Diseases: Every Patient Counts

In many rare and ultra-rare disease studies, sponsors do not have the luxury of choosing the countries or sites where the study will be conducted. Instead, they must use the sites where those patients are already being treated, regardless of geography. Additional protocol criteria – such as treatment-naïve patients or general prevalence of a disease...

Clinical Research: Phase 1 - Phase 4

The Science of Hope

Despite the inherently small market for orphan drugs, orphan drug development has recently undergone significant growth, with global sales of over $100 billion in 2015. In 2015, more than 20 new drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and 18 new drugs were approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for...

Clinical Research: Phase 1 - Phase 4

The Why, What, and How of the Current State of CNS Drug Development

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are a diverse group of conditions that include psychiatric, neurological and substance abuse disorders. Unfortunately for patients, treatment options for CNS disorders are often limited (or non-existent). To make matters worse, comparatively few CNS drugs are in the development pipeline. What aspects of CNS disorders contribute to lagging drug development? Read on to...

Clinical Research: Phase 1 - Phase 4

Want to Study Rare Disease? Get Ready for These Roadblocks

A rare disease, also referred to as an orphan disease, by definition affects a small percentage of the population. Most are genetic and appear early in life, with one in three children with a rare disease dying before their fifth birthday. While the definition of “rare” varies from country to country, the US defines a rare disease as...