The Drug Development Paradigm in Oncology

The Drug Development Paradigm in Oncology
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2018-02-12
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309457971

Advances in cancer research have led to an improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the development of cancer and how the immune system responds to cancer. This influx of research has led to an increasing number and variety of therapies in the drug development pipeline, including targeted therapies and associated biomarker tests that can select which patients are most likely to respond, and immunotherapies that harness the body's immune system to destroy cancer cells. Compared with standard chemotherapies, these new cancer therapies may demonstrate evidence of benefit and clearer distinctions between efficacy and toxicity at an earlier stage of development. However, there is a concern that the traditional processes for cancer drug development, evaluation, and regulatory approval could impede or delay the use of these promising cancer treatments in clinical practice. This has led to a number of effortsâ€"by patient advocates, the pharmaceutical industry, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)â€"to accelerate the review of promising new cancer therapies, especially for cancers that currently lack effective treatments. However, generating the necessary data to confirm safety and efficacy during expedited drug development programs can present a unique set of challenges and opportunities. To explore this new landscape in cancer drug development, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine developed a workshop held in December 2016. This workshop convened cancer researchers, patient advocates, and representatives from industry, academia, and government to discuss challenges with traditional approaches to drug development, opportunities to improve the efficiency of drug development, and strategies to enhance the information available about a cancer therapy throughout its life cycle in order to improve its use in clinical practice. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

A Practical Guide to Drug Development in Academia

A Practical Guide to Drug Development in Academia
Author: Daria Mochly-Rosen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2014-07-08
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3319022016

"A lot of hard-won knowledge is laid out here in a brief but informative way. Every topic is well referenced, with citations from both the primary literature and relevant resources from the internet." Review from Nature Chemical Biology Written by the founders of the SPARK program at Stanford University, this book is a practical guide designed for professors, students and clinicians at academic research institutions who are interested in learning more about the drug development process and how to help their discoveries become the novel drugs of the future. Often many potentially transformative basic science discoveries are not pursued because they are deemed ‘too early’ to attract industry interest. There are simple, relatively cost-effective things that academic researchers can do to advance their findings to the point that they can be tested in the clinic or attract more industry interest. Each chapter broadly discusses an important topic in drug development, from preclinical work in assay design through clinical trial design, regulatory issues and marketing assessments. After the practical overview provided here, the reader is encouraged to consult more detailed texts on specific topics of interest. "I would actually welcome it if this book’s intended audience were broadened even more. Younger scientists starting out in the drug industry would benefit from reading it and getting some early exposure to parts of the process that they’ll eventually have to understand. Journalists covering the industry (especially the small startup companies) will find this book a good reality check for many an over-hopeful press release. Even advanced investors who might want to know what really happens in the labs will find information here that might otherwise be difficult to track down in such a concentrated form."

The Challenge of CMC Regulatory Compliance for Biopharmaceuticals

The Challenge of CMC Regulatory Compliance for Biopharmaceuticals
Author: John Geigert
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2019-05-08
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030137546

Biopharmaceuticals (i.e., biological medicines sourced from genetically-engineered living systems) for treatment of human diseases have become a significant percentage of the pharmaceutical industry. And not just the recombinant DNA-derived proteins and monoclonal antibodies (both from the innovators and biosimilars); but now, an increasing awareness of the importance of gene therapy and genetically engineered cellular medicinal products. These biopharmaceuticals are being developed by many companies whose Chemistry, Manufacturing & Control (CMC) teams have varying degrees of familiarity or experience with the CMC strategy and regulatory compliance requirements for these challenging products. Companies clearly plan out the strategy for their clinical study plans, but frequently, the development of a strategy for CMC is an afterthought. Coupled with the complexity of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes and products, and this can be a recipe for disaster. The third edition of this book provides insights and practical guidance for the CMC teams to develop an acceptable cost-effective, risk-based CMC regulatory compliance strategy for all biopharmaceuticals (recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies, genetically engineered viruses and genetically engineered human cells) from early clinical stage development through market approval. The third edition of this book provides added coverage for the biosimilars, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies, genetically engineered viruses, and genetically engineered cells. This third edition of the book also addresses the heightened pressure on CMC regulatory compliance timelines due to the introduction of expedited clinical pathways moving the clinical development closer to a seamless phase process (e.g., FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation, CBER Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation, EMA Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation). The Challenge of CMC Regulatory Compliance for Biopharmaceuticals is essential, practical information for all pharmaceutical development scientists, Manufacturing and Quality Unit staff, Regulatory Affairs personnel, and senior management involved in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.

Making Medicines Affordable

Making Medicines Affordable
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2018-03-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309468086

Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.

Regulatory Aspects of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy Products

Regulatory Aspects of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy Products
Author: Maria Cristina Galli
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2015-09-15
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3319186183

This book discusses the different regulatory pathways for gene therapy (GT) and cell therapy (CT) medicinal products implemented by national and international bodies throughout the world (e.g. North and South America, Europe, and Asia). Each chapter, authored by experts from various regulatory bodies throughout the international community, walks the reader through the applications of nonclinical research to translational clinical research to licensure for these innovative products. More specifically, each chapter offers insights into fundamental considerations that are essential for developers of CT and GT products, in the areas of product manufacturing, pharmacology and toxicology, and clinical trial design, as well as pertinent "must-know" guidelines and regulations. Regulatory Aspects of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy Products: A Global Perspective is part of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy sub-series of the highly successful Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology series. It is essential reading for graduate students, clinicians, and researchers interested in gene and cell therapy and the regulation of pharmaceuticals.

Handbook of Stability Testing in Pharmaceutical Development

Handbook of Stability Testing in Pharmaceutical Development
Author: Kim Huynh-Ba
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 389
Release: 2008-11-16
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0387856277

This handbook is the first to cover all aspects of stability testing in pharmaceutical development. Written by a group of international experts, the book presents a scientific understanding of regulations and balances methodologies and best practices.

New Horizons in Predictive Toxicology

New Horizons in Predictive Toxicology
Author: Alan G. E. Wilson
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
Total Pages: 711
Release: 2012
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1849730512

The sophistication of modelling and simulation technologies have improved dramatically over the past decade and their applications in toxicity prediction and risk assessment are of critical importance. The integration of predictive toxicology approaches will become increasingly necessary as industrial chemicals advance and as new pharmaceuticals enter the market. In this comprehensive discussion of predictive toxicology and its applications, leading experts express their views on the technologies currently available and the potential for future developments. The book covers a wide range of topics including in silico, in vitro and in vivo approaches that are being used in the safety assessment of chemical substances. It reflects the growing and urgent need to strengthen and improve our ability to predict the safety and risks posed by industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals in humans. The reader will find extensive information on the use of current animal models used for various toxicities and target mediated toxicities. Also discussed are the recent regulatory initiatives to improve the safety assessment of chemicals. The book provides an expert and comprehensive discussion on the current status and future directions of predictive toxicology and its application. The various chapters in the book also reflect the growing need for improvements in our technologies and abilities to predict toxicities of pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals to ensure product safety and protect public health.

Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children

Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2004-07-09
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309133386

In recent decades, advances in biomedical research have helped save or lengthen the lives of children around the world. With improved therapies, child and adolescent mortality rates have decreased significantly in the last half century. Despite these advances, pediatricians and others argue that children have not shared equally with adults in biomedical advances. Even though we want children to benefit from the dramatic and accelerating rate of progress in medical care that has been fueled by scientific research, we do not want to place children at risk of being harmed by participating in clinical studies. Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children considers the necessities and challenges of this type of research and reviews the ethical and legal standards for conducting it. It also considers problems with the interpretation and application of these standards and conduct, concluding that while children should not be excluded from potentially beneficial clinical studies, some research that is ethically permissible for adults is not acceptable for children, who usually do not have the legal capacity or maturity to make informed decisions about research participation. The book looks at the need for appropriate pediatric expertise at all stages of the design, review, and conduct of a research project to effectively implement policies to protect children. It argues persuasively that a robust system for protecting human research participants in general is a necessary foundation for protecting child research participants in particular.