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

Opinion: Canadian healthcare choke points put patient lives at risk

November 16th, 2023|

From Healthing.ca: Canada’s healthcare system is strained. It was always strained. It was designed that way. The United States healthcare system has excess capacity. Costs are constrained by insurance companies requiring pre-approval before non-emergency interventions. Physicians and hospitals typically have [...]

RAPID framework for improved access to precision oncology for lethal disease: Results from a modified multi-round delphi study

March 1st, 2023|

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

September 9th, 2022|

Dr. Dave Steward recently gave a webinar to Prostate Cancer Support Canada to answer common questions people have about cancer.

SEE MORE ARTICLES

VIDEOS

A patient's perspective

A physician's perspective

A researcher's perspective

When cancer happens

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.