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Strategy
g
To develop and deliver a new drug development strategy – by disease and across
diseases – based on the specific biology of patients’ tumour, taking into account existing
therapeutic strategies implemented by the ECTGs;
g
To provide a guide for efficient and innovative public-private partnerships between
academia and the pharmaceutical industry, within the frame of the EU Paediatric Medicine
Regulation.
Actions
1. Across Europe, increase the access of patients to new and innovative therapies, including
better referral of patients, and install a molecular and immunological tumour portrait as
a standard of care at the time of relapse as well as at diagnosis for patients with a high-
risk and resistant diseases (link with objective 2);
2. Improve the evaluation of adult cancer drugs for use in the paediatric population,
establishing a clear drugs’ prioritisation and avoiding unjustified waivers (not allowing an
adult drug to be translated to children);
3. Identify targets in paediatric cancers and, thus, develop specific paediatric anti-cancer
drugs (link with objective 3);
4. Develop innovative technologies such a high precision radiation therapy and
interventional radiology;
5. Develop innovative designs and methods for efficient studies, both in early phase and
phase III clinical trials;
6. Influence changes in the relevant regulations;
7. Develop international academic collaboration and efficient cooperation with main
stakeholders (patients, survivors, parents, academia, charities, industry, regulators, EU
decision- and policy-makers).
The European new drug development programme will be implemented by the European
consortium for Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC), in collaboration with the
disease-specific European Clinical Trials Groups (ECTGs).
Brought about by ENCCA, the CDDF (Cancer Drug Development Forum)- SIOPE -ITCC
paediatric oncology platform was created in 2013 with academia, industry, parents and
regulators in order to make proposals for improving new oncology drugs development for
children and adolescents [8].
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A EUROPEAN CANCER PLAN FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS