Cancer treatments ’set to improve’
Today’s cancer research is paving the way for more successful drugs for patients, a leading charity has said.
According to Cancer Research UK, some 18 per cent of new drugs will become standard treatments as a result of improved knowledge, compared with just five per cent previously.
However, the organisation has urged pharmaceutical firms and academics to be more transparent about drugs which are not as effective.
It is hoped that new treatments will offer a realistic alternative to chemotherapy – which can have dangerous side-effects.
Dr Ian Walker, the licensing manager at the charity’s commercial development arm, said: "This clearly demonstrates the benefits of developing molecularly targeted treatments for cancer - understanding more about the basic biology of cancer is making a real difference to the success rate for new anti-cancer drug development."
Professor Herbie Newell, also from Cancer Research UK, said clear information about which treatments worked and which did not could only be "beneficial for clinical, scientific and commercial reasons".
The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer
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