ChiefNode

NIH helps early stage drug trials

In a new move for public-private partnerships, the NIH has dedicated $13 million to run some clinical trials on experimental drugs. But they also took earlier steps, to try to jumpstart drug development. From the Wall Street Journal article today on the issue:

The hard-core scientists wanted an exhaustive battery with newer tests, while drug-company officials said it wasn't feasible to make people in clinical trials complete hours of tests. In the end, the panel whittled it down to a 63-minute battery of 36 tests for use in clinical trials.

Next the NIH tackled one of the biggest obstacles to drug development: choosing which of the more than 100 tests now available should be used in clinical trials to measure memory, attention and other brain functions. At the time, individual drug companies used wildly divergent tests, and competing university researchers often invented and patented their own testing methods, and licensed them for sale.

I've worked with a number of university faculty who have created tests which measure such activity -- I'm curious now what the fate of these new tests are. Hopefully there is still room for innovative new tests in the new system.

There have been many proposals regarding how to manage early stage clinical trials for small niche drugs. This system, in close connection with specific partners, is one I had not heard discussed. Let's hope it all turns out well.

posted by Dana Bostrom @ 08:17