UK – PM announces new measures for cancer patients

http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/12/05/pm-announces-new-measures-for-cancer-patients/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cancerresearchuk%2FSHhE+%28Cancer+Research+UK+-+Science+Update%29

“It takes around 20 years to get a drug from the early stages of development to patients. We believe that once we know that drugs are safe (after phase 1 trials), under strict supervision and initially for conditions where there are no other treatment options, it makes sense to bring drugs to patients quicker, in the hope that patients reap the benefits of promising new drugs sooner.

Why is this so important? Because many cancer patients find themselves in the devastating position of having no treatment options available to them – even though there are new drugs in the development pipeline that they might benefit from. We know that many patients in this situation would be willing to try new drugs that may help to treat their cancer.

This announcement will also be good news for the pharmaceutical industry, as it should create strong incentives for companies to develop drugs for smaller groups of patients, with the potential for an earlier return on their investment. This in turn, has the potential to encourage pharmaceutical companies to invest in the UK.”