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Bucci-Rechtweg C, Siapkara A, An Haack Bonnet K, Corriol Rohou S, Haf Davies E, Dehlinger Kremer M, Gamalo M, Moreno C, Nelson RM, Thomas Turner R. Strategies to facilitate adolescent access to medicines: Improving regulatory guidance. Clin Trials 2023; 20:13-21. [PMID: 36341541 DOI: 10.1177/17407745221132302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Historically, pediatric medicines are developed after adult trials are completed, even when identical drug targets and disease similarities exist across the populations. This has resulted in significant delays in the authorization of medicines for adolescent use, limiting access to beneficial drugs. This study sought to understand how adolescent inclusion in adult trials is positioned in regulatory guidance documents as they set critical expectations for trial design and regulatory decision-making. METHODS This study utilized a qualitative analysis approach. Guidance documents were identified via Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency websites. Utilizing a blinded adjudication process, the documents were classified as permissive, exclusionary, or silent regarding recommendations about adolescent inclusion in adult clinical trials. A post hoc analysis of similarities and differences between the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency guidance documents was conducted to assess the possible role of regional pediatric research laws on age-inclusive trial methodologies as well as emergent themes by therapeutic area. RESULTS In total, 96 Food and Drug Administration (1977 to 2019) and 106 European Medicines Agency (1987 to 2019) guidance documents were identified for analysis. The guidance contained explicit or implicit recommendations supporting adolescent inclusion in adult trials in 32% of Food and Drug Administration and 15% of European Medicines Agency documents, while 14% and 21%, respectively, were found to be exclusionary. A large number of guidance documents were silent regarding the applicability of adolescent-inclusive trial designs (53% and 64%, Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency, respectively). Analysis by therapeutic area revealed the most permissive of adolescent inclusion in Food and Drug Administration guidance for infectious diseases and conditions requiring blood products in European Medicines Agency guidance. A more holistic approach to age-inclusive trial design was identified in disease guidance published by the Food and Drug Administration Oncology Center of Excellence. DISCUSSION There are many influences on the development and/or revision of regulatory guidance documents. Substantial scientific knowledge and regulatory precedence for the inclusion of adolescents within adult trials are available to inform research approaches. Our study has identified important opportunities for the enhancement of guidance. For example, contextualization of developmental factors influencing adolescent disease progression provides insights into the role of adolescent inclusion. If addressed, guidance documents can facilitate broader acceptance of age-inclusive trial methodologies and accelerate adolescent access to medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Carmen Moreno
- Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, IiSGM, Madrid, Spain
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Pearson ADJ, Scobie N, Norga K, Ligas F, Chiodin D, Burke A, Minard-Colin V, Adamson P, Marshall LV, Balakumaran A, Benettaib B, Bhargava P, Bollard CM, Bolotin E, Bomken S, Buechner J, Burkhardt B, Caron H, Copland C, Demolis P, Egorov A, Farhan M, Zugmaier G, Gross T, Horton-Taylor D, Klapper W, Lesa G, Marcus R, Miles RR, Nottage K, Pacaud L, Ricafort R, Schrappe M, Sterba J, Vezan R, Weiner S, Kim SY, Reaman G, Vassal G. ACCELERATE and European Medicine Agency Paediatric Strategy Forum for medicinal product development for mature B-cell malignancies in children. Eur J Cancer 2019; 110:74-85. [PMID: 30772656 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Paediatric Strategy Forums have been created by the multistakeholder organisation, ACCELERATE, and the European Medicines Agency to facilitate dialogue between all relevant stakeholders and suggest strategies in critical areas of paediatric oncology drug development. As there are many medicines being developed for B-cell malignancies in adults but comparatively few in children with these malignancies, a Paediatric Strategy Forum was held to discuss the best approach to develop these products for children. It was concluded that as current frontline therapy is highly successful, despite associated acute toxicity, de-escalation of this or substitution of presently used drugs with new medicines can only be undertaken when there is an effective salvage regimen, which is currently not available. Therefore priority should be given to developing treatment for patients with relapsed and refractory mature B-cell lymphomas. The consensus of the clinicians attending the meeting was that CAR T-cells, T-cell engagers and antibody drug conjugates (excluding those with a vinca alkaloid-like drug) presently have the greatest probability of providing benefit in relapse in view of their mechanism of action. However, as producing autologous CAR T-cells currently takes at least 4 weeks, they are not products which could be quickly employed initially at relapse in rapidly progressing mature B-cell malignancies but only for the consolidation phase of the treatment. Global, industry-supported, academic-sponsored studies testing compounds from different pharmaceutical companies simultaneously should be considered in rare populations, and it was proposed that an international working group be formed to develop an overarching clinical trials strategy for these disease groups. Future Forums are planned for other relevant paediatric oncologic diseases with a high unmet medical need and relevant molecular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Franca Ligas
- Paediatric Medicines Office, Product Development Scientific Support Department, European Medicines Agency, London, UK
| | | | - Amos Burke
- Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Lynley V Marshall
- Paediatric Drug Development, Children and Young People's Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Divisions of Clinical Studies and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Catherine M Bollard
- Centre for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Health System, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Simon Bomken
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Jochen Buechner
- Department of Paediatric Hematology and Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - Birgit Burkhardt
- Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and BMT, University Hospital Münster, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Anton Egorov
- Centre for Therapeutic Innovation in Oncology, Servier, France
| | - Mahdi Farhan
- Debiopharm International SA, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Giovanni Lesa
- Paediatric Medicines Office, Product Development Scientific Support Department, European Medicines Agency, London, UK
| | | | - Rodney R Miles
- University of Utah, Department of Pathology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | | | - Rosanna Ricafort
- Oncology Clinical Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, NJ, USA
| | | | - Jaroslav Sterba
- Pediatric Oncology Department, University Hospital Brno, School of Medicine Masaryk University, Brno, Regional Centre for Applied Molecular Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, ICRC Brno, St. Anna University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Susan Weiner
- Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Gregory Reaman
- Office of Hematology and Oncology Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, MD, USA
| | - Gilles Vassal
- Department of Clinical Research, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Sud University, Paris, France
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