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Program Updates
Events and Convenings Recap
Recent Publications
Policy Updates
FasterCures in the Community
Upcoming Events
FasterCures Awarded FDA Funding to Advance Patient Engagement in Medtech
FasterCures has received a Broad Agency Announcement contract from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand patient engagement within the medtech sector. This funding will support a project that includes the development of a comprehensive framework highlighting the value of patient engagement in medtech, along with a toolkit to encourage greater patient engagement within the total product life cycle of medtech R&D activities. This project will build on FasterCures’ research to deepen the understanding of patient engagement's benefits, challenges, and opportunities in medtech R&D. For further details, please contact Raymond Puerini, director FasterCures.
Preparing the US Health System for the Future of Cancer Care
Announced at the Future of Health Summit, a new Future of Cancer Care project of FasterCures will examine how advances in cancer diagnostics may change the future of cancer care. The project will explore the implications of these advances for patients, industry, providers, and payers, as well as for the broader US health system.
Democratizing Access to Clinical Trials
FasterCures' Enabling Networks of Research Infrastructure for Community Health through Clinical Trials (ENRICH-CT) is a multi-stakeholder coalition involving business, government, and nonprofit leaders. The initiative is launching three project working groups to address barriers to building more community-based clinical trial infrastructure: clinical services organization business models, regulatory facilitators, and new sites and investigators. As noted above, FasterCures also released a report on new players and platforms that will enable more person-centered approaches to clinical research and democratize access to trials. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Highlights from the 2024 Future of Health Summit
The Milken Institute hosted its annual Future of Health Summit in Washington, DC, with programming focused on Partnering for Better Health. Kicking off the conference, the opening plenary featured three robust conversations, starting with Rob Califf, commissioner of the FDA, continuing with Mandy Cohen, CDC director, and concluding with a panel discussion focused on partnerships for a healthier tomorrow. Attendees were treated to a panel discussion with USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Atul Gawande and WHO Foundation CEO Anil Soni. Of equally high interest were conversations with the NIH leaders of the 21st century, featuring Monica Bertagnolli, NIH director, and former directors Elias Zerhouni and Francis Collins.
FasterCures curated 11 public sessions during the two-day event. For detailed descriptions and recordings, you’re welcome to visit the session links below.
UN High-Level Dialogue on AMR at the United Nations General Assembly
Leaders from the Milken Institute and FasterCures took an active part in the 79th United Nations General Assembly, working with global changemakers to tackle some of the world’s most urgent challenges. Our experts led discussions in four critical areas: driving climate innovation, expanding global health access and investing in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) solutions, utilizing finance and innovation for a resilient Africa, and advancing strategic philanthropy.
FasterCures is at the forefront of addressing AMR, focusing on innovative funding for antibiotic development and fostering global collaboration on pandemic preparedness. Esther Krofah, executive vice president of Milken Institute Health, joined global leaders at a high-level AMR meeting to address this critical threat. Additionally, FasterCures hosted "Beyond Borders: Advancing Global Health Access in a Changing World," featuring a panel of distinguished experts focused on achieving equitable health-care access worldwide.
Webinar: Development and Deployment of Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Research and Care
FasterCures’ The Research Acceleration and Innovation Network recently hosted a webinar focused on the development and deployment of patient-centered outcome measures (PCOMs) for research and care, highlighting the importance of integrating patients’ voices within the research process. Unlike traditional patient-reported outcomes, which often focus solely on symptoms, PCOMs take a broader approach by incorporating features that matter most to patients in terms of care and daily life. Speakers shared their experiences in developing PCOMs in the rare disease and obesity spaces.
Community-Based Infrastructure for Inclusive Research: Democratizing Access to Research
FasterCures’ work spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic identified challenges in both the publicly and privately funded research ecosystems. Such challenges can hamper established contributors in sustaining and scaling efforts to move research opportunities closer to communities—to make an “ecosystem of excellence” out of “islands of pilots.” Our team members have highlighted solutions that could help create efficiencies, improve connectivity among research stakeholders, and serve the needs of community partners.
Continuing the approach of previous briefs in this series, FasterCures conducted thorough research and hosted a virtual dialogue. This FasterCures brief explores strategies to democratize access to clinical research and foster more inclusive, person-centered clinical trials.
Defining and Demonstrating the Value of Patient Engagement in Medtech Research and Product Development
Patient engagement (PE) has grown steadily in pharmaceutical R&D, yet PE in medtech has lagged due to unique barriers. This FasterCures report explores why PE has been slower to evolve in medtech compared to the pharmaceutical sector. Issues raised include the key barriers facing PE in medtech R&D, the benefits and value of PE, and the opportunities to enhance PE in medtech. The report also offers recommendations for improving patient involvement throughout the medtech development process.
Prescription for Biomedical Innovation: Recommendations for the New Administration
Fired up by a mission to accelerate scientific advancements that save lives, FasterCures has been a driving force in shaping national priorities to advance biomedical innovation and remove barriers that delay patient access to breakthrough therapies.
This FasterCures report delineates our expertise as advocates and facilitators, cultivated through extensive research, projects, and collaboration with experts across our stakeholder network. We aim to support the new administration in addressing emerging health challenges and prioritizing policies that will advance biomedical research and health-care innovation for the future.
Journal Articles
Request for Information on Next-Generation Cures Bill
In the past decade, significant strides have been made to integrate patient perspectives into biomedical research, driven by legislation like the Cures Act, which has fostered innovation in R&D and improved patient access to lifesaving medical products. FasterCures has played a key role in supporting the Cures Act and now offers recommendations for the upcoming Cures 2.0 to further enhance patient-centered biomedical progress. Key recommendations include:
Comments on Optimizing the FDA’s Use of and Processes for Advisory Committees
The FDA relies on external experts through Advisory Committees to gain diverse perspectives for evaluating complex medical products. FasterCures values the FDA's efforts to refine this advisory process and offers the following recommendations to enhance it:
Comments on the Diversity Action Plans to Improve Enrolment of Participants from Underrepresented Populations in Clinical Studies
FasterCures commends the FDA's recent advancements in promoting diversity in clinical studies through updated guidance on the Diversity Action Plan (DAP), mandated by the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act. This guidance encourages clinical studies to consider demographic and additional diversity factors to address health inequities, such as geographic location, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and health conditions.
FasterCures supports this initiative and suggests further recommendations for the FDA:
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