Access to clinical trials can be a last resort for many Canadians
Keeping them in Canada is vital, experts say
It was a different time when Barry Stein was diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer in 1995.
Options were limited for the Montreal lawyer, beyond getting his affairs in order and receiving palliative care. Rather than accept his fate, Stein did some research and found a progressive procedure in New York that would remove cancerous matter from his liver, where the disease had spread.
Following treatment in New York, Stein found a clinical trial in California that was testing a melanoma vaccine on colorectal cancer patients. In a near-spiritual moment during his treatment stateside, Stein vowed he would devote his efforts to helping Canadians get access to the same cutting-edge colorectal cancer treatments if he survived.
He’s kept his word as president and CEO of Colorectal Cancer Canada, a non-profit advocacy organization. In that role, Stein has lobbied for several clinical trials to be done in Canada to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients.
“The bottom line is that clinical trials are important,” Stein says. “It’s important for patients and it’s important for physicians to get things going here in Canada.”
The value of clinical trials goes beyond each patient. Early trials, done in rigorously controlled conditions, provide drug companies and the public with scientific data about how effective a medicine is in treating particular cancers. In later clinical trials, data about how a drug works in larger populations over longer periods of time is gathered, all the while giving physicians invaluable knowledge about managing treatment and boosting the treatment options of patients.
“We have renowned physicians nationally that do this clinical research,” says Daniel Hebert, Novartis Pharmaceutical’s medical head for oncology in Canada. “This provides patients access much earlier to innovative compounds. They’ve tried other drugs and those have failed, so in many ways this is a last resort.”
“Canada is one of the top 10 countries where global clinical trials are conducted because of the world-class researchers and institutions,” adds Monique Lacroix, national director of clinical research for Novartis
Canada is fertile and important ground for developing such knowledge. There are thousands of clinical trials happening in Canada across an overwhelming number of disease states, from pediatric oncology and various rare diseases, to cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.
Stein is currently working with patient groups to increase participation and make trials easier to access for people in all parts of the country.
“If we have a trial in Edmonton, I could access that trial by going to Edmonton,” Stein says. “But I should be able to be in Montreal and access that trial and get that treatment.”
“Clinical trials play a critical part in bringing new treatment options to Canadian patients,” says Lacroix.