Our president, Patricia Blanc, was asked by Marie Agnès Buzynm President of the National Cancer Institute to give a talk at their meeting on 4th February for World Cancer Day.
This offered the opportunity to remind some 800 people – journalists, charities, doctors, researchers, pharmaceutical laboratory representatives and other citizens – that innovative cures are not yet available to children and adolescents and that this must become a priority for public health.
An extract from her speech: “access to innovation for children and adolescents who are suffering from cancer”
Giving access to innovation to children and adolescents who are suffering from cancer HAS to be a PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY (…) Cancer remains the primary cause of death amongst children BUT very little funding is allocated to pediatric research/ (…) The majority of drugs given to children are off label, which means adult drugs that are not legally allowed to be given to children, because children’s cancer is a market that is financially unprofitable for the pharmaceutical industry. (…) In Europe, only 10% of children who are in relapse have access to innovation… targeted medicine is barely just starting for children, it needs to accelerate. The trial ESMART will be a global first in children’s cancer. It is a cross party program which will allow children who are in relapse or treatment failure to have a targeted treatment program, whether their tumour is, solid or leukemic. (…) I am asking companies who have not already done so, to give their molecules and reglementary authorities to look into the project rapidly. It is a progam that offers great hope for the families so that they don’t waste their time. Imagine for Margo has committed 1 million Euros to boost the take off of the ESMART project, because we know, only too well, how time is precious when a child is in relapse.
We have made formal proposals to change European legislation. These proposals were presented last week at a European parliament meeting, then to the Minster for Health. We are calling on the Minster for Health to get behind these mesures to the European Council. Initiatives are starting AT LAST so that children will no longer be excluded from research but this is only a beginning, we need to build on this together. We have today the means to made 2016 the year of acceleration of innovative drug treatments for children and adolescents who have cancer.
You can depend on my VERY STRONG DETERMINATION and that of a number of parents charities, who have come together to form UNITE2CURE as well as numerous pediatric oncologists and researchers with whom we work, to never give up so that we make it to our goals.
Also, an article from Liberation “Cancer in Children, research is only just beginning”
Find the entire speech 4th FEBRUARY INCA
Also, an article from Liberation “Cancer in Children, research is only just beginning”
http://www.liberation.fr/france/2016/02/08/cancers-de-l-enfant-la-recherche-debute-tout-juste_1431837
