Euroscience Open Forum 2012

We are experiencing a revolution in the development of targeted anti-cancer agents that are focused against particular defects in tumours. These successes, however, bring their own challenges, such as the high cost associated with the use of contemporary therapeutics to treat cancer. Moreover, the true benefit of such 'targeted drugs' is often quite limited due to poor trial design, notably the lack of enrichment of patients for the relevant molecular lesion concerned.

To tackle this, there have been considerable efforts to develop companion diagnostic approaches that can be utilised alongside such molecular therapies to sub-stratify patients into different groupings based on predicted drug response. While there has been classically some inertia on behalf of the pharmaceutical/biotech industry to delve into this arena, the health economic argument is coming to the fore.
This session will explore the complex interplay and driving forces behind advancement in development of anti-cancer agents and associated companion diagnostics, as well as the health economic, ethical and social issues that these developments engender.

The format will compromise of a panel discussion, with 3 speakers covering different perspectives (twenty minutes each), followed by extended discussion with audience.

• What Drugs Should we Give to Which Patients? – An Oncologist’s Perspective (Dr. Catherine Kelly)
• Development of Personalised Molecular Diagnostics for Cancer Patients – An Industry Perspective (Dr. Iris Simon)
• What is the Economic Cost of Personalised Cancer Medicine? (Prof. Nils Wilking)