“Patients are waiting. These therapies are potentially curative. They’re important for the field.” – Ellen Sigal On May 17, 2019, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) held a public meeting on “Designing the Future of Cell Therapies” to explore forward-looking opportunities in the cell therapy field. The meeting…
Physicians rely on a variety of sources of information to provide high-quality care to patients. In oncology, some of the most prominent resources that inform provider decision-making are the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) clinical practice guidelines; drug compendia; electronic point-of-care decision support tools, such as UpToDate;…
On Wednesday, November 14, 2018, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) and Prevision Policy hosted the fourth annual BioPharma Congress. This year’s event focused on drug pricing, approval standards, patient input, and the future of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Featured speakers included HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan and CMS Administrator Seema Verma. The…
This year’s Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) Annual Meeting started with a morning keynote by Anna Abram the Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation and Analysis at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Abram discussed many different initiatives that have been led by Friends over the years including the breakthrough therapy designation, FDA Oncology…
This year’s awardees at the 22nd Annual Cancer Leadership Awards Reception From L-R: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Richard Klausner September 21, 2018 The Hay-Adams 800 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20006 On September 21, 2018, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) hosted the 22nd Annual Cancer Leadership Awards Reception. The yearly event brings together leaders in…
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming a commonly used tool in cancer treatment. Transparency regarding the clinical performance and utility of different NGS-based tests available will aid in clinical decision-making and facilitate improvements in patient care. The 7th Annual Blueprint for Breakthrough Forum, held by Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.,…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fulfills its mission to protect and advance the public health by overseeing the development and approval of new medical products and ensuring that they are safe and effective for American consumers. When taking into consideration the full range of products the FDA oversees, including not just medical products,…
Significant progress has been made in data collection efforts to support use of real-world evidence (RWE) in regulatory settings; however challenges remain, chiefly with combining, organizing, and analyzing data from various information sources. On July 10th, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) hosted a meeting to present data from a pilot project assessing the use and…
On September 13, 2018, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) reconvened the TMB Harmonization Working Group, which consists of several stakeholders across all health sectors. Building from previous workshops hosted by Friends in the Fall of 2017 and the Spring of 2018, working group members: Reviewed the findings of the first phase of the TMB Harmonization…
Friends of Cancer Research Congressional Briefing Safeguarding the Public Health: Enhancing Information About Prescription Drugs Patients and their caregivers need access to high quality information about the prescription drugs they use. While many sources of information exist, none can deliver as strong assurances of reliability and scientific rigor as FDA-approved product labels. Labels are the…
