Understanding Cancer Drug Development: What Patients and Caregivers Need to Know

including establishing and running Pfizer Research University. Salem Oaks builds educational

“Educating Cancer Patients and Caregivers about Drug Discovery and Development” (Kevin Freiert) [#96] resources about pharmaceutical research and development tailored to the specific needs of patients. They have mapped out all the on ramps, roundabouts, express routes and service stations along the drug discovery and development journey.

Kevin is the host of three podcasts: Raising Rare, LEMS Aware, and Improbable Developments. He has many educational sessions in his development roadmap. He wanted to learn about the biggest educational content gaps that patients and caregivers experience. What information gaps about drug development can hinder you from selecting your best treatment options?

Evaluating Treatment Options ●Finding credible sources to evaluate treatments, assessing the credibility of research literature and claims about treatments, and quickly skimming literature and evaluating a treatment’s potential value. For example, reviewing information about the background to a clinical trial, such as the research on an animal model that led to the trial.

●Comparison of standard of care treatments versus treatments available through clinical trials ●Potential trade-offs that come with clinical trials, such as treatment limitations and consequences, or more frequent scans and blood tests. For example, if I join this clinical trial, will it limit me in my future treatments? Am I locked into this?

What are the consequences if I drop out of the trial or do something different? Might I be prevented from pursuing other courses?

Accessing Treatments ●Navigating the FDA regulatory process, especially for access, such as expanded access, compassionate use, and right to try ●Reviewing eligibility criteria to see whether you can qualify for clinical trials; knowing what the prerequisites are can change your decision tree ●How to access drugs off-label, e.g.

, drugs indicated by genomics rather than the cancer setting (tissue of origin) ●Assessing the timing of the availability of a drug through a clinical trial and weighing that against the likelihood of disease progression in the meantime Behaviors ●How to ask tough questions, how to advocate for yourself, e.g.

, how to make your voice heard if you don't meet the eligibility criteria for a clinical trial ●Examples of patient journeys, such as how a patient successfully advocated for themselves What resources should be available to educate patients and caregivers about cancer and drug development?

“Educating Cancer Patients and Caregivers about Drug Discovery and Development” (Kevin Freiert) [#96] ●Flexible and self-paced learning opportunities, tailored to individual pathways and needs

ized learning modules ●Online discussion board: a place to ask questions, lasting records of discussions

“Educating Cancer Patients and Caregivers about Drug Discovery and Development” (Kevin Freiert) [#96] ●Flexible and self-paced learning opportunities, tailored to individual pathways and needs ●Include examples to illustrate concepts What can you do to educate yourself about drug development?

●Explore Salem Oaks’ Atlas platform and provide feedback The information and opinions expressed on this website or platform, or during discussions and presentations (both verbal and written) are not intended as health care recommendations or medical advice by Cancer Patient Lab, its principals, presenters, participants, or representatives for any medical treatment, product, or course of action.

You should always consult a doctor about your specific situation before pursuing any health care program, treatment, product or other course of action that might affect your health.

“Educating Cancer Patients and Caregivers about Drug Discovery and Development” (Kevin Freiert) [#96] Meeting Notes KEYWORDS question, clinical trials, cancer, drug discovery, drugs, patients, trial, put, work, courses, biotechs, cancer patient, oncology, treatments, information, kevin, process, company, access, pfizer SPEAKERS Kevin Freiert (69%), Brad Power (13%), Brian McCloskey (7%), David Plunkett (4%), Robert Gurmankin (3%), Sherrie Arsenault (2%), Cheryl Middleton (1%), Roger Royse (0%) SUMMARY Kevin Freiert discussed the challenges of navigating clinical trials and drug development for rare cancers and his personal experience.

He explored the differences between clinical trials and standard of care, highlighting their potential benefits and drawbacks. Drug discovery has evolved and personalized medicine has increased, especially the importance of genomics in redefining diseases and fast-tracking drug approvals.

There are many challenges in providing education in drug discovery and development, especially the need for personalized education tailored to individual learners' needs and pathways. OUTLINE Patient education on drug development and clinical trials. ●Kevin Freiert has a problem: prioritizing education materials for rare disease patients.

●He explains his experience in drug discovery and development, offering a subscription service with courses for those interested. ●Participants discuss their experiences with clinical trials and drug discovery, sharing sources of information such as Cancer Patient Lab and clinical trials.gov.

●Patients and caregivers should know where drugs come from to make informed decisions about clinical trials. Drug development challenges and personalized learning solutions. ●Kevin Freiert discusses challenges in developing educational content for rare disease organizations due to lack of funding. ●He identifies knowledge gaps and information overload in drug discovery and development.

clinical trials. Drug development challenges and personalized learning solutions. ●Kevin Freiert discusses challenges in developing educational content for rare disease organizations due to lack of funding. ●He identifies knowledge gaps and information overload in drug discovery and development. ●Solution proposed: bite-sized learning modules tailored to individual pathways and needs.

●He describes a subscription-based online learning platform with various features, including written resources, discussion board, and bi-weekly office hours. ●The platform aims to provide flexible and self-paced learning opportunities for members, with a focus on practical applications and lasting records of discussions.

“Educating Cancer Patients and Caregivers about Drug Discovery and Development” (Kevin Freiert) [#96] ●He outlines complex processes for drug discovery and development, emphasizing interdependencies and complexity. ●He explains the drug development process, including FDA regulations and company acquisitions. Cancer clinical trials and eligibility criteria.

●Patients should ask about potential treatment limitations and consequences before joining a clinical trial. ●Kevin Freiert discusses eligibility criteria for clinical trials, emphasizing the importance of making your voice heard if you don't meet criteria.

●He showcases the courses available on their website, offering exclusive content for members and a subscription program for access to more courses. ●He describes drug discovery and development, highlighting key concepts, such as phase 2 trials confirm drug efficacy and safety, while phase 3 expands on safety database.

●He shares personal experiences and insights from his career in the pharmaceutical industry, including the importance of understanding the regulatory view and clinical pharmacology. Cancer treatment options, including clinical trials and standard of care, with a focus on the advantages and disadvantages of each.

●Patients face a decision between standard of care and clinical trials, with pros and cons of each. ●Patients seek to understand trade-offs, such as more frequent scans and blood tests with clinical trials. ●Kevin Freiert discusses drug discovery and development in oncology, highlighting the importance of building on existing knowledge and using examples to illustrate key points.

●He discusses the use of artificial intelligence in drug discovery, highlighting its potential to analyze complex genomic data and identify specific cancer mutations. ●He believes pharmaceutical companies will adopt AI in clinical settings gradually, allowing the technology to mature first, and their current projects have been in development for years.

Cancer drug development, patient education, and literacy. ●Kevin Freiert discussed the importance of evaluating research papers and understanding their methods and conclusions.