Potential new treatments for brain tumors are being held back by pharmaceutical companies' inability to supply the drugs needed for research and regulatory delays, a leading cancer charity has warned.
Brain tumors kill more children and adults under 40 in the UK than any other cancer, but research has been underfunded for years. Around 12,000 people are diagnosed with primary brain tumors in the UK each year.
Brain tumor research is concerned by reports from senior clinicians that because brain cancer is a rare disease, they are reluctant to provide the expensive drugs needed for research.
The charity's Hugh Adams said the supply of new medicines was being “constrained” by a lack of research capacity and challenges in obtaining investigational drugs. “We need a new framework that treats this disease as a clinical priority,” he said.
Labor MP Siobhan McDonagh campaigned for legislation to support brain tumor research after her sister, Baroness McDonagh, a former Labor general secretary, died from a glioblastoma brain tumor in June last year. There is. Mr McDonough plans to introduce a bill in Parliament this month asking MPs to support measures to increase the number of clinical trials.
She wants the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Care and Excellence to speed up applications for approval of treatments for rare cancers. She also wants new regulations requiring drug companies to supply drugs to treat brain tumors. “We want to put pressure on pharmaceutical companies to make drugs available for clinical trials,” she said. She said companies were reluctant to offer drugs because they were not economically viable or worried about the risk of unfavorable outcomes.
Medical oncologist Paul Mulholland last month gave evidence to Parliament's Health and Social Care Committee about problems in accessing investigational drugs for glioblastoma tumors. Some of these drugs may be treatments for other cancers and could be repurposed for brain tumors.
“Treatment hasn't improved in 30 years,” he says. “The key problem…is that not enough clinical trials are being conducted. Regulatory changes are needed to encourage industry to invest in finding a cure.”
In May 2018, the government announced a £40 million budget for brain tumor research, but an All Party Parliamentary Group report on brain tumors in February last year found that only £15 million had been awarded, stating: Of this, £6m was associated with brain-related or not easily identified 'tumors'.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Brain cancer is a devastating disease, which is why we have set aside £40 million for research projects specifically looking for new treatments and treatments to tackle this disease.” Stated.
Amit Agarwal, executive director of medical affairs at the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries (ABPI), said: “Pharmaceutical companies exist to discover, develop and deliver effective treatments to patients, and are already finding new uses for them. “We are providing pharmaceutical products for external clinical trials.” Voluntarily, including brain tumors.
“Forcing a company to release a product on every request can lead to problems, for example, if a drug doesn't work in a new use, or worse, in a clinical trial in which the company that originated it was not involved.” If this occurs, there is a risk that the public's trust in medicines will be undermined.”
