Media Contact: Kelli Wright
Phone: (240) 235-2204 | kelli.wright@curesearch.org
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Launches Groundbreaking IMPACT Series Forum
Collaborative forum will provide academic pediatric oncology leaders with early industry insights to accelerate the development of new pediatric cancer treatments
Bethesda, MD – March 28, 2019 – CureSearch for Children’s Cancer announces its inaugural IMPACT Series Forum, a closed-door session that will provide first-of-its-kind insight for leading academics into pharma’s early development pipeline. This highly proprietary information is typically shared only once research is made public in the clinical phase, a timeline that puts the discovery process for pediatrics three to five years behind adults. The IMPACT Series will allow academics to engage in and potentially expedite the pediatric development timeline, bringing new treatments to children in an accelerated timeframe.
The RACE for Children Act, signed into law last year as Title V of the 2017 FDA Reauthorization Act, requires industry to evaluate all new potential treatments for adult cancers for pediatric relevancy early in the drug development process. The new guidelines will go into effect in 2020.
“CureSearch has stepped up to create an innovative, novel approach to convening academia and industry towards implementation of the RACE Act. It is our hope that this IMPACT Series will serve as a model for engagement that will lead to a global shift in drug development, ensuring that children are in the forefront of advancements in cancer research,” stated Kay Koehler, CureSearch CEO. “With this effort, we are aiming to expedite access for those in the field and, ultimately, the children who need them most.”
The inaugural forum will take place on March 28 in Atlanta, GA where Industry leader AstraZeneca and Acerta Pharma, AstraZeneca’s Hematology development arm, will meet with a select group of global academic and research experts in an opportunity to gain critical insights into their targets and mechanisms that are currently being developed for cancer, allowing earlier consideration for pediatric activity for therapeutics that may be entering clinical trials in the next three to five years or already in the clinic for adult cancers.
“Research into pediatric cancers brings its own set of challenges and, with blood cancers among the most common in children, AstraZeneca and Acerta are proud to be working with CureSearch on the IMPACT Series,” stated Davy Chiodin, Vice President, Regulatory Science at Acerta Pharma. “Bringing both parties together for such a dialogue around the development pipeline is unprecedented, and it takes true multi-stakeholder collaboration to make these critical conversations happen.”
CureSearch Board Chairman Stuart Siegel, M.D, added, “We’re energized by the support of industry leaders like AstraZeneca and Acerta Pharma and the participation of global pediatric oncology leaders in our inaugural IMPACT Series Forum. We know this is a vital first step in making pediatric cancers a priority in drug development, and the frank and transparent exchange of information will give both sides the opportunity to align pediatric research sooner.”
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About CureSearch for Children’s Cancer
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, a national nonprofit organization based in Bethesda, Md., works to end childhood cancer by driving targeted and innovative research with measurable results in an accelerated time frame. CureSearch focuses on advancing the strongest research out of the laboratory and into clinical trials and development, where better, less-toxic treatments can quickly help children.
For more information, visit curesearch.org, follow CureSearch on Twitter @curesearch or join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/curesearch.
