Brain Tumour Research is welcoming steps set out by the Prime Minister to ensure brain tumour patients get a faster route from research to treatment.
The announcement comes after brain tumour campaigner Archie Goodburn met with Andy Burnham and the Health and Social Care Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in Downing Street earlier today.
The four steps announced are:
- An immediate expert review by leading brain cancer experts to assess what has changed for patients since the 2018 government review and what is still holding progress back. This will be led by Professor Anthony Chalmers, Chair of the Brain Tumour Group within the UK Collaborative for Cancer Clinical Research and Co-Director of the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence
- A national action plan shaped by the reviews findings to get new treatments out of the laboratory and to patients faster
- A new national brain cancer clinical lead to drive this work forward, appointed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
- An acceleration of the orphan drugs regulations review (a commitment in the Rare Cancers Act) to be completed in two years rather than three – any changes to these regulations could help patients access promising new treatments sooner
Dan Knowles, CEO of Brain Tumour Research, said: “Government has seized the opportunity to place research at the heart of transforming outcomes for brain tumour patients. We are optimistic that this renewed focus will help ensure discoveries in the laboratory actually make it to patients who so desperately need more options.
“We thank Archie for his tireless efforts, as well as all those in the brain tumour community, to ensure those at the highest level of Government understand the devastating reality faced by brain tumour patients. We look forward to continuing to work with partners across the charity sector, civil service, research community, and industry to make sure we can deliver improved survival rates so critically needed. This challenge remains urgent as does the need for greater investment in research into brain tumours.”
Dr Michele Afif (CEO of The Brain Tumour Charity), Will Jones (Chief Executive of brainstrust), Archie Goodburn, and Dan Knowles (CEO of Brain Tumour Research)
Alongside this, patients, families and charities will help design a drive to get more people onto clinical trials. This will be led by the Health and Social Care Secretary, who will host a roundtable with researchers, clinicians and charities to find new ways to boost participation.
Ministers will also work with researchers and industry to make the UK a better place to run clinical trials in the UK, giving patients more opportunities to access promising new treatments.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Archie is an inspiration to us all, and I am determined to deliver the change patients and their families deserve.
“He has spoken passionately about the need for change on brain cancer, and he's right: progress hasn't been good enough, here or anywhere else. Families facing this disease can't afford to wait.
“That is why today we're committing to appoint a dedicated national lead and setting out how we'll get new treatments to patients faster. I strongly support this work and was delighted to welcome Archie to Downing Street to discuss it with him in person.”
Brain Tumour Research welcomes these commitments and the renewed focus on research to ensure promising scientific discoveries and breakthroughs benefit patients. Having played a leading role in the 2018 Task and Finish Working Group and the resulting landmark government report, we welcome the opportunity to revisit this, review barriers and ensure an action plan for progress.
Accelerating new discoveries in the laboratory into new treatments is vital to improving outcomes for brain tumour patients. Greater investment is crucial for research teams to generate the pipeline of medicines and interventions that patients desperately need and to gather the evidence required to establish clinical trials.
Clinical trial recruitment for brain tumours is the lowest of any cancer and it remains one of our key campaigning priorities to increase the number of brain tumour clinical trials and the number of patients accessing them . Brain Tumour Research has already engaged with partners to understand the barriers to investment in the UK life sciences industry and key challenges facing brain tumour patients in accessing trials. We are ready to share these insights to guide and support an increase in the number of brain tumours patients on clinical trials.
The full Government press release can be read here.
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