HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post

Lolly · 04-13-2006, 03:52 PM

CancerGuide: Clinical Trials and Experimental Treatments

http://www.cancerguide.org/offprotocol.html

Formal Compassionate Use Programs
A formal compassionate use program is a mechanism for getting an unapproved but promising new treatment to patients who would otherwise be unable to receive it. Compassionate use programs are for people who have a life threatening with "no comparable or satisfactory alternative drug or other therapy available to treat that stage of the disease in the intended patient population" (in the words of the FDA regulations).

Formal compassionate use is a bit like a clinical trial in that you will still have to meet specific requirements such as the type and stage of disease, and usually you must be treated by doctors who participated in the clinical trials for the drug, but compared to trials, the requirements are somewhat relaxed. If you qualify for an open clinical trial of the treatment, obtaining it through compassionate use is not an option.

According to the FDA regulations, compassionate use programs are normally for drugs which are in phase III or have completed accrual to their trials (it takes significant time to allow the data to mature, compile it, and get it reviewed by FDA - often several years), but the regulations do say compassionate use might be possible for some drugs which are only in phase II testing. I presume there would still have to be applicable promising results - such as spectacular results from an ongoing phase II trial. You won't find compassionate use programs for drugs which are in the very early stages of testing. If you just heard about the latest cancer cure for mice on the nightly news, you can be sure there will not be a compassionate use program. There have to be results in people with your type of cancer.

Although the FDA has to approve compassionate use programs, they normally do so without fuss. Whether there is a compassionate use program largely depends on whether the drug company has decided to have one. The decision depends on many factors including the cost which can easily run into the millions and whether there is an adequate supply of the drug (which is often an issue). In the past, agitation by organized patients has sometimes made the difference. For instance, Genetech granted expanded access to the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, only after breast cancer activists conducted an intensive campaign. ("Demand Grows for Early Access to Promising Cancer Drugs",Journal of the National Cancer Institute, November 20, 2002)

Finding Compassionate Use Programs
If you're interested in a particular drug you can find out if there's a compassionate use program by contacting the company. The first step is to find their web site.

04-13-2006, 03:52 PM	#19
Lolly Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,756	Lyn; Contact Genentech about Lapatinib? CancerGuide: Clinical Trials and Experimental Treatments http://www.cancerguide.org/offprotocol.html Formal Compassionate Use Programs A formal compassionate use program is a mechanism for getting an unapproved but promising new treatment to patients who would otherwise be unable to receive it. Compassionate use programs are for people who have a life threatening with "no comparable or satisfactory alternative drug or other therapy available to treat that stage of the disease in the intended patient population" (in the words of the FDA regulations). Formal compassionate use is a bit like a clinical trial in that you will still have to meet specific requirements such as the type and stage of disease, and usually you must be treated by doctors who participated in the clinical trials for the drug, but compared to trials, the requirements are somewhat relaxed. If you qualify for an open clinical trial of the treatment, obtaining it through compassionate use is not an option. According to the FDA regulations, compassionate use programs are normally for drugs which are in phase III or have completed accrual to their trials (it takes significant time to allow the data to mature, compile it, and get it reviewed by FDA - often several years), but the regulations do say compassionate use might be possible for some drugs which are only in phase II testing. I presume there would still have to be applicable promising results - such as spectacular results from an ongoing phase II trial. You won't find compassionate use programs for drugs which are in the very early stages of testing. If you just heard about the latest cancer cure for mice on the nightly news, you can be sure there will not be a compassionate use program. There have to be results in people with your type of cancer. Although the FDA has to approve compassionate use programs, they normally do so without fuss. Whether there is a compassionate use program largely depends on whether the drug company has decided to have one. The decision depends on many factors including the cost which can easily run into the millions and whether there is an adequate supply of the drug (which is often an issue). In the past, agitation by organized patients has sometimes made the difference. For instance, Genetech granted expanded access to the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, only after breast cancer activists conducted an intensive campaign. ("Demand Grows for Early Access to Promising Cancer Drugs",Journal of the National Cancer Institute, November 20, 2002) Finding Compassionate Use Programs If you're interested in a particular drug you can find out if there's a compassionate use program by contacting the company. The first step is to find their web site. Last edited by Lolly; 04-13-2006 at 03:56 PM..