According to a recent report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), biopharmaceutical research companies in the United States are currently developing almost 800 new therapeutic options for cancer, 73 of which are specific for breast cancer treatment.
“In recent decades, we have seen great progress in developing effective cancer treatments that help extend lives, improve quality of life and increase productivity,” PhRMA President and CEO John J. Castellani said in a PR Newswire press release. “Continued research has expanded our knowledge of how cancer develops and how to target medicines for specific cancer types, which has resulted in more effective therapies for patients.”
According to the new report, biopharmaceutical research has put an intense effort in developing innovative and alternative ways to fight cancer. Moreover, biomedical research is also focusing on new ways to use existing medicines, either as single agents or in combination with other types of therapies.
So far, of the total 771 new medicines and vaccines undergoing clinical trials or waiting an approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 98 are for lung cancer, 87 for leukemia, 78 for lymphoma, 73 for breast cancer, 56 for skin cancer and 48 for ovarian cancer.
“Although the death rate from cancer has been steadily declining for the past four decades, its toll is still staggering. Despite the complexity of the challenge, researchers at biopharmaceutical companies remain committed to developing new treatment options for patients”, Castellani added in the press release.
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Among breast cancer clinical trials, PhRMA mentions I-SPY 2, a research collaboration among the Biomarkers Consortium, the FDA, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and biopharmaceutical companies.
This trial uses genetic and biological markers from individual patient tumors and adaptive clinical trial design to develop new breast cancer medicines quicker by identifying which ones are most effective in which patients and at a reduced cost.
The report identifies all the 73 breast cancer investigational treatment options by product name, sponsor, indication and development phase.
Castellani will further discuss the importance of collaborations and commitment of biopharmaceutical researchers at the Turning the Tide Against Cancer National Conference on October 9, 2014, which is expected to gather industry leaders, advocacy organizations, academia and government to discuss the current status of cancer research.