Targeted Therapy and the 21st Century Cures Initiative

In the first segment of this one-on-one interview series, Peter Salgo, MD, and Irwin W. Tischler, DO, discuss major innovations in the treatment of cancer. Drs Salgo and Tischler also discuss the 21st Century Cures initiative recently launched by the US Congress.

Dr Tischler, a national medical director of oncology for Cigna, says that the use of molecular profiling and targeted therapy have been a “tremendous boon” in the treatment of cancer over the past decade. Targeted therapies make possible the personalization of treatment based on specific genetic abnormalities and are also associated with a lower incidence of side effects.

Next, Drs Salgo and Tischler discuss the 21st Century Cures initiative, recently launched by the US Congress. It is expected that this initiative will help address various barriers to the development of new treatment options.

The initiative is designed to allow various stakeholders in healthcare to share their opinions about how to accelerate the pace of healthcare innovation in the United States, Dr Tischler remarks. The initiative is attempting to eliminate regulatory barriers that have impeded innovation in the past. Use of a comprehensive team approach is expected to help launch new drugs and devices in a more timely fashion.

Dr Tischler predicts that there will be a rapid acceleration of the pace of innovation, especially if the initiative helps lower the costs that are currently associated with research and development by pharmaceutical companies.

Oncology Stakeholder Summit 2014: Evidence-Based Decisions to Improve Quality and Regulate Costs

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