December 1, 2014
FDA is looking to standardize how it chooses drugs for the breakthrough approval pathway, and an early analysis of the handful of drugs chosen shows the most important criteria is that the therapy show a “spectacular advance in the field” over the typical improvement in drug development, drug center chief Janet Woodcock recently told an…
Read MoreNovember 6, 2014
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), in collaboration with Foundation Medicine and Friends of Cancer Research, and in partnership with many advocacy organizations, today launched the “Don’t Guess. Test.” campaign to expand awareness and educate patients about precision medicine and the importance of comprehensive genomic testing in lung cancer. Through extensive grassroots and…
Read MoreSeptember 30, 2014
A Blueprint For Drug/Diagnostic Co-development Washington, DC, September 30, 2014 – Today, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc/Alexandria Venture Investments (NYSE:ARE) will host the 3rd Annual Blueprint for Drug/Diagnostic Co-development forum. This annual conference brings together researchers, sponsors, advocates, policy-makers and regulators to develop consensus-driven solutions to address…
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2014
Collaboration to feature policy briefings on “Cancer Research in the 21st Century”; speakers for inaugural event include Dr. Francis Collins, Dr. Ronald DePinho, and moderator Susan Page of USA Today Washington, DC, September 18, 2014 –– The Aspen Institute Health, Medicine, and Society Program and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) announce a new partnership, which…
Read MoreJuly 23, 2014
Groundbreaking study in squamous cell lung cancer opens at more than a hundred and fifty new locations The Lung-MAP trial, a multi-drug, multi-sub-study, biomarker-driven clinical trial for patients with advanced squamous cell lung cancer, that launched on June 16th 2014, today announced that it has expanded to an additional 169 locations throughout the United States.…
Read MoreJuly 3, 2014
To the Editor: Darrow et al. (March 27 issue) present an incomplete and misleading review of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) programs that are available to expedite drug development, review, and approval. As the authors note, drug regulation involves balancing the potential benefits of access to a therapy against the potential risks associated with the…
Read MoreJune 17, 2014
Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) is proud to join our many partner organizations in announcing the launch of the Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP) clinical trial. Lung-MAP is the product of years of collaboration with government, research institutions, patient advocacy groups, and industry, and it is our hope that it will provide a model for…
Read MoreJune 13, 2014
The “master protocol” study for squamous cell lung cancer will start on Monday, Maria Freire, president of the Foundation for NIH (FNIH), told BioCentury. The five-year protocol — a Phase II/III trial intended to support registration of new drugs — was designed by Friends of Cancer Research (FOCR) in collaboration with FDA. FNIH, a public-private…
Read MoreMay 22, 2014
Chair & Founder Ellen Sigal Participates in Inaugural Roundtable Executive Director Jeff Allen Testifies Before House Energy and Commerce Committee On May 6, 2014, Friends Chair & Founder, Dr. Ellen Sigal joined NIH Director Francis Collins, FDA’s Dr. Janet Woodcock, as a participant on the same committees’ kickoff event for the “21st Center Cures…
Read MoreMay 19, 2014
WASHINGTON–It’s only two years old, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Breakthrough Therapy designation has proven to be far more popular than anticipated with drug sponsors–potentially good news for cancer patients. Therapies granted this designation must show very early clinical evidence suggesting a substantial improvement over existing treatments for serious or life-threatening diseases. At…
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