A Hopeful Mindset: Patient Insights on Clinical Trials Webinar

A Hopeful Mindset: Patient Insights on Clinical Trials Webinar By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH In November 2018, Inspire sent a clinical trial perceptions research survey to caregiver and patient members with the following conditions: ovarian, colorectal and prostate cancer; scleroderma and sarcoidosis; and psoriasis and arthritis. Over 1600 respondents completed instrument. Members were asked, “If you were eligible for a clinical trial, how interested would you be in participating?” One "very interested" member explained, “Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune disease which has no cure, so any research would help the future.” Another stated, “I have advanced cardiac [...]

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May 2019By |0 Comments

Wearable Devices Revolutionize Clinical Trials… But when?

Wearable Devices Revolutionize Clinical Trials...But when? By Richard Tsai Here is the vision: Wearable devices open the floodgates to clinical trial participation. Patient-centric and portable, they’ll free the participants from multiple visits to the clinical site. Technology collects millions of data points per user per day, and then transmits it directly to researchers. High participation and rich real-world data and evidence (RWD/RWE) streamline clinical trials, satisfy 21st Century Cures Act requirements, and yield what everyone wants – a faster track to drug approval. 1 That time is coming – the Apple Watch 4 won FDA approval as [...]

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May 2019By |0 Comments

Redefining Life as a Patient and Caregiver : Experts by Experience 2018

Redefining Life as a Patient and Caregiver : Experts by Experience 2018 Parenting and caring for a child with a medical condition challenges Erin Moriarty Wade. She writes, “I know that the patient experience begins long before you meet the doctor. I know that sometimes even parking your car can become a big part of that experience–especially when you have to park at a distance with a cranky toddler in a stroller, and a child hobbling in pain. I understand the fear that patients may feel, and I appreciate the role of the oft-forgotten caregiver.” Early [...]

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Apr 2019By |0 Comments

Hacking clinical trials: Two awareness and protocol strategies invented by patients and caregivers that work

Hacking clinical trials: Two awareness and protocol strategies invented by patients and caregivers that work By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD Patients with life-threatening diseases aren’t waiting for someone to make participating in clinical trials easier for them. They are breaking down the barriers themselves. Two of these innovative methods were described at a March 18 Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CITI)-FDA event, “Enhancing the incorporation of the patient perspective in clinical trials.”1 Breaking barriers to clinical trial awareness In 2012, Tom Marsilje and his team from Novartis presented a cancer drug he had co-invented at the annual American Society [...]

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Apr 2019By |0 Comments

Why peer-to-peer online patient communities are important to patients, caregivers and pharma

Why peer-to-peer online patient communities are important to patients, caregivers and pharma By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD What do patients and caregivers say about online patient communities? Inspire posts, podcasts, and patient advocates concur on the powerful and varied benefits, especially in research collaborations and as a trusted source of treatment and clinical trial information. Opportunity for research collaborations As early as 2005, Inspire member, Katherine K. Leon searched for other people with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). Slowly she found members in Inspire’s WomenHeart community. Motivated by a lack of information explaining why her coronary artery dissected, [...]

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Apr 2019By |0 Comments