Spain attracts more than 250 clinical trials in oncohematology in the last four years
Source: Farmaindustria.es
Various facts and arguments support the condition of Spain as an attractive country for the development of biopharmaceutical research projects: the quality of its health system, the prestige and recognition of its researchers, a highly advanced scientific and logistical infrastructure, the active commitment of patients , the experience and capacity of its pharmaceutical industry and pioneering legislation in Europe.
But it is the data that certifies that this positioning of the country among the best in the world is already a reality. In the last four years, Spanish hospitals hosted 259 clinical trials in the area of ??oncohematology, as discussed yesterday by Javier Urzay, deputy director of Farmaindustria, within the framework of the Haematological Cancer Seminar: from clinical research to medication access, organized by the Foundation for Health Research (FUINSA) and the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH) and held at the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality in Madrid.
As recorded in the Spanish Registry of Clinical Studies, between 2015 and 2018, 259 trials were carried out in Spain in the area of ??oncohematology, with some 1,700 participations in centers, and benefited more than 4,000 patients. This group includes studies on hematological cancer, blood cancer, leukemia and lymphoma, multiple myeloma, hematological neoplasia and lymphatic tissue. Urzay highlighted the fact that 60% of these projects are developed in the early stages (I and II), an indicator that is taken as a sample of the high capacity and preparation of the Spanish research tissue in this area.
Navarra and Castilla y León
He also noted as relevant the outstanding position of certain autonomous communities in the geographical distribution of this research activity. Together with leading communities such as Catalonia and Madrid and other communities with a large population such as Andalusia and Valencia, the cases of Castilla y León (where hematology accounts for 34% of all clinical research in the region) and Navarra (28%) stand out ), thanks to the existence of highly specialized centers in this field in Salamanca and Pamplona, ??respectively.
The industry is working together with clinical researchers, managers, administrations and patients to facilitate trials and provide greater treatment options for patients in a therapeutic area such as this where advances are beginning to revolutionize the approach to the disease.
The hematological neoplasms represent between 10% and 15% of the total of cancers, but they have a high socioeconomic impact since they are the ones with the highest incidence in children and young adults. Hematology is probably one of the fields in which personalized precision medicine is a more tangible reality for patients. Thanks to the knowledge of the genetic and molecular characteristics, the diagnosis is much more precise at present, which facilitates and accelerates the treatments.
The genetic complexity of these tumors and the importance of the personalization of treatments make it necessary to have referral units or centers and expert pathologists, specialized in this field.
In Distefar we echo this news which is a joy for our sector, since we are positioned among the first countries in the world of clinical trials in oncohematology.
