Creating a unique, multi-stakeholder Paediatric Oncology Platform for childhood cancer drug developm

04/12/2014

A very important article has been just published on the European Journal of Cancer (EJC): Gilles Vassal et al.,'Creating a unique, multi-stakeholder Paediatric Oncology Platform to improve drug development for children and adolescents with cancer', 27 November 2014, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2014.10.029.

Fruit of the intense collaboration between SIOPE, CDDF (Cancer Drug Development Forum), ITCC (Innovative Therapy for Children with Cancer Consortium) and ENCCA (European Network for Cancer Research in Children and Adolescents), this article explains why the recent Paediatric Oncology Platform has been created with the urgent remit to improve paediatric oncology drug development. Engaging multiple stakeholders from academia, industry, parents and regulatory bodies, this Platform aims to prepare a strategy for mechanism of action and biology-driven selection and prioritisation of potential paediatric indications, by exploring pre-competitive research and drug prioritisation, early portfolio evaluation, cross-industry cooperation and multi-compound/sponsor trials.

Seven years after the launch of the European Paediatric Medicine Regulation, limited progress in paediatric oncology drug development remains a major concern amongst stakeholders, and it implies missed opportunities to explore new drugs potentially relevant for paediatric malignancies, lack of innovative trial designs and no new incentives to develop drugs against specific paediatric targets. The Paediatric Oncology Platform will prepare an action plan for 2017, when the EU Paediatric Medicine Regulation will enter into revision.

All stakeholders taking part in the Platform will share an important joint proposal during the nextSIOPE-CDDF ‘Paediatric Workshop’ next 5-6 February 2015 in Vienna.

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