IT CAN TAKE 12 YEARS TO BRING A DRUG TO THE MARKET.
Even with fast-tracking, it takes more than six years to get a drug approved, and longer to make it available. This is not acceptable for people with lethal diseases. Every month of delay translates into thousands of life-years lost, and suffering that could have been alleviated. We have proposals that would speed up the process – we need your help to have them heard.
WHEN SAFETY KILLS.
Clinical trials are required for drug approval. However, in the case of emerging treatments for lethal diseases (like gene-targeted agents, immunotherapies, CRISPR-based therapies and others), they can be unnecessarily slowed by inappropriate research designs. Once the trials are complete, complex bureaucratic systems and red tape add years to getting the treatments to people.
The cost is thousands of lives that are lost and unnecessary suffering – and drug prices that are driven up by the lengthy, costly process. A study published in Cancer Medicine looked at 27 different clinical trials. It showed that reducing drug approval time to five years could have saved more than 1,900,000 life-years if only 10% of all relevant patients were treated! Quick safe and rational reform is needed.
RISK HAS A DIFFERENT MEANING IF YOU’RE FACING DEATH.
On 17 June 2016, Bill C-14 legalized assisted dying in Canada. Yet lethally ill patients are routinely denied early access to promising life-extending or curative experimental therapies.
ABOUT US
LSTN (Life-Saving Therapies Network) is a patient-led international network of oncologists, researchers, regulators, medical ethicists, health economists and others from North America and the EU. Our mission is to enable patients with lethal diseases to have faster access to better therapies. Our initiatives are evidence-based and supported by a cross section of key players in the healthcare system internationally. Please click here to learn more about our members & advisors.
Our areas of focus include clinical research, regulatory and reimbursement reform.
ARTICLES
RAPID framework for improved access to precision oncology for lethal disease: Results from a modified multi-round delphi study
From the Frontiers website: Introduction Predictive oncology, germline technologies, and adaptive seamless trials are promising advances in the treatment of lethal cancers. Yet, access to these therapies is stymied by costly research, regulatory barriers, and structural inequalities worsened by the [...]
Why Cancer Still Sucks Webinar
Dr. Dave Steward recently gave a webinar to Prostate Cancer Support Canada to answer common questions people have about cancer.
A Short Primer On Why Cancer Still Sucks
LSTN's own Dr. Dave Stewart recently released a book that answers some of of the most common, vexing questions about cancer.
Treatment Access, Health Economics, and the Wave of a Magic Wand
From Current Oncology: "New drugs are expensive, in part due to excessive drug development costs. Governments are trying to reduce drug prices. This can delay access to effective agents. A country’s access to new drugs correlates with prices they agree [...]
VIDEOS
COMPASS FOR CHANGE
Our advocacy landscape is complex and multi-leveled. Our Compass for Change makes each element of our plan clear and helps us navigate our way forward. Please click here to find more detail.
JOIN US
Please join us. It doesn’t matter if you’re a patient, a caregiver, a physician, a researcher – or simply interested. We need you and so do those with lethal diseases who may already know that the expiration date on their birth certificate is rapidly approaching.
Help us develop an awareness campaign and educate people about this issue. Bring your expertise to our expert conversations. Participate in online support groups. Make connections in the network. Help us refine and broaden the appeal of our message.