2023-10-09 08:25:56
Dr. Candela Calle is the director of the Advisory Board of OncoLAB, a cancer study laboratory promoted by the company AstraZeneca, which includes medical societies, patient associations and foundations.
Candela Calle is also a member of the Governing Council of the Spanish Society of Health Directors (SEDISA), former director of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and the Catalan Health Institute.
Access to pharmaceutical innovation in oncology, access to the future
Doctor Candela Calle
The fight against cancer is one of the most challenging battles of our era. As we advance in the understanding of different pathologies, there is a constant flow of advances in the research and development of oncological treatments.
However, one of the biggest obstacles patients face is access to these innovations. In the context of the next pharmaceutical regulation in Europe, currently being processed, it is crucial to reflect on the importance and significance that improving access to new diagnostic techniques and new oncological treatments has on the lives of thousands of patients.
Facilitating entry to innovative treatments and techniques in oncology would not only improve patients’ survival and quality of life, but also prolong their life expectancy.
Revealing data show that the increase of 1.74 years in life expectancy in the first decade of this century in developed countries can be attributed 73% directly to the positive effect of new medications on the health of the population.
In recent months, the need to introduce improvements in the evaluation and financing process of new drugs has become evident. Improvements that contribute to making access more agile, faster, in the environment of a transparent, predictable and, above all, more participatory methodology. When a promising new treatment emerges on the horizon, patients cannot afford to wait years to access it due to red tape.
Pharmaceutical regulation must simplify and accelerate approval processes to ensure patients have timely access to potentially life-saving treatments. Cancer doesn’t wait, so the time to lay the groundwork for advancement is now.
Furthermore, this access cannot depend on the patient’s geographic location or economic capacity. European pharmaceutical regulation must guarantee equitable access for all citizens of the European Union, regardless of their country of residence. This could be achieved through collaborative policies between countries.
Another worrying aspect refers to the current system of incentives for innovation, since it does not encourage the creation of a competitive environment for the industry that allows increasing and extending agile and equitable access to therapeutic innovation to all countries of the European Union. .
To solve the problems of access to innovation, work must begin in the Member States themselves, establishing effective measures at national level that align with the European objective of reducing access periods by an approximate average of 400 to 180 days, listening more to patients and supporting and evaluating medications early.
In this process, there is an aspect that is of great importance, the definition of the concept of ‘pharmaceutical innovation’, the basis on which to establish clear criteria that facilitate its access to patients.
Pharmaceutical innovation not only refers to the creation of new drugs, but also to the significant improvement in existing treatments, the development of new diagnostic techniques and, in general, the creation of novel therapeutic approaches. These advances can make a difference in patients’ lives and should be recognized as such in regulation.
And in Spain?
The state of access of patients in Spain to innovative treatments has worsened in recent years, as confirmed in the WAIT1 study—published in 2023—which indicates that Spanish patients had to wait an average of 611 days in the period analyzed. —between 2018 and 2021—to access innovative therapies previously approved by the EMA (European Medicines Agency).
Meanwhile, in Germany and Denmark this period is reduced to 102 and 145 days respectively. Taking these countries as a reference, as well as France, which, even facing the same problem as Spain, has articulated early access programs, the lack of agility and alternatives to the process of access to oncological innovation in the national territory is evident.
In the context of the next European pharmaceutical regulation, it is essential that our National Health System (SNS) advances accordingly and adopts measures that guarantee efficient access to pharmaceutical innovation in oncology.
The SNS in Spain has made significant progress in cancer care, but still faces significant challenges in terms of access to pharmaceutical innovation.
One of the most notable structural problems is the evaluation and financing procedure for innovative cancer drugs, a process that, in many cases, is long and bureaucratic. To guarantee equity and cohesion in cancer care throughout the national territory, it is necessary to update the Service Portfolio and adapt financing resources.
Improving access to pharmaceutical innovation in oncology is not only a matter of justice for patients, but also a strategic step for the sustainability of the health system in Spain. For every euro allocated to finance innovation, between 6 and 7 euros are saved in other health services, from emergency visits to surgical interventions. This approach to investing in innovation as an element of the economic sustainability of the SNS is essential to guarantee the long-term viability of the health system.
The next European pharmaceutical regulation provides an opportunity to address these challenges, but it is essential that Spain takes internal measures to adapt its access policies to innovative treatments. By doing so, we will not only provide hope and a better quality of life for cancer patients, but we will also ensure a stronger and more efficient healthcare system for future generations.
The fight against cancer requires multidisciplinary collaboration and a comprehensive vision that addresses challenges in access to pharmaceutical innovation. For this purpose, the Advisory Council of OncoLABmade up of representatives of scientific societies, foundations and professionals in the oncology field and promoted by AstraZeneca, has recently prepared and presented the consensus document “Now, solutions: bringing innovation closer to the patient” to contribute to the definition of the meaning of ‘pharmaceutical innovation ‘ and the establishment of criteria that facilitate patients’ access to the most advanced treatments.
As a society, we must commit to unlocking hope and giving patients the best tools possible to defeat this serious disease. Pharmaceutical regulation has a critical role to play in this mission.
From left q right, the director of EFEsalud, Javier Tovar; Citizens MEP Susana Solís; the socialist MEP Nicolás González Casares; the director of the OncoLAB Advisory Board, Candela Calle; AstraZeneca’s Director of Corporate Affairs and Market Access, Marta Moreno; PP MEP Pilar del Castillo; the director of the European Parliament Office in Spain, María Andrés; and Vox MEP Margarita de la Pisa at an event organized by EFE and AstraZeneca on access to innovation in oncology/EFE/David Fernández
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