People who have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma have to pin their hopes for the future on advances in medicine, and that largely means on new cancer drugs.
Despite the fact that the number of diagnosed cases of malignant mesothelioma are expected to rise in the next decades, there has been little real progress in available treatments, and the chemotherapy drug used to treat the disease is the same one that has been used for the last several years.
Though there is a natural push for new drugs to be brought to the market more quickly, the co-founder of a well known cancer drug development company says that there’s a need for a change in attitude among researchers. There also needs to be a greater emphasis for safety in the earliest stages of drug development rather than in the end stages.
Though Dr. Richard Knight of ApconiX does not specifically work with mesothelioma drugs, his company is devoted to oncology drug development.
Speaking on the topic he said, “There is still huge unmet need in effective cancer treatment and it can be tempting for companies researching new drugs to focus mainly on efficacy data, with safety issues relegated to secondary importance. However, an improved safety profile is not only an important way to reduce the high rate of drug failure, it can also expedite clinical trials and, above all, it’s the best thing to do for patients.”
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that has proven particularly resistant to traditional treatments, and those treatments that are available have admittedly debilitating side effects. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with this asbestos-related disease and you need information on how best to deal with its challenges, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net at 1-800-692-8608.
