Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40117035›Full record

ArticleIrish journal of medical science2025

An analysis of compassionate access programmes for novel oncology drugs.

Sarah A Kelly, Karine E Ronan, Mohammed Zameer, Jennifer Brown, Grainne Johnston, Ruth Adams, Dearbhla Murphy, Deirdre Kelly, Waseem Darwish, John McCaffery and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Irish journal of medical science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Sarah A KellySchool of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. Kellys50@tcd.ie.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-5665-2400
Karine E RonanDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1828-5708
Mohammed ZameerDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Jennifer BrownDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Grainne JohnstonDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Ruth AdamsDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Dearbhla MurphyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Deirdre KellyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Waseem DarwishDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
John McCafferyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Geraldine O'Sullivan CoyneDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Emily HarroldDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Shahid IqbalDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Darren CowzerDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Austin G DuffySchool of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the rise in the number of approved novel oncology drugs, just over half of all new cancer medicines approved by the EMA between 2017 and 2021 were granted reimbursement in Ireland by the HSE. Compassionate access programmes (CAPs) are a means of providing managed access to drugs which are of proven benefit but have not yet received full approval for reimbursement by the state, or where the requested indication has not been yet been authorised/licensed.

methodsA retrospective review was performed of patients attending The Mater hospital for treatment of advanced malignancy who availed of a CAP between August 2012 and July 2022. Clinical data collected included disease type, treatment received, duration of treatment received, and best response to treatment. To categorize outcome "Clinical Benefit" was defined as a radiological complete, partial, or stable disease response to treatment.

resultsOne hundred and thirteen patients were included in the study. Ninety-three received at least one dose of CAP treatment. Treatment duration ranged from 0 to 112 months, with 12 patients on treatment for ≥ 2 years. N = 47 (42%) experienced a Clinical Benefit. Of these, N = 7 experienced a complete response [CR]. Thirty patients (27%) did not receive a planned treatment or died within 3 months of treatment.

conclusionsIn this review of a decade of CAPs at our institution we observed that a significant proportion of patients derived a clinical benefit from CAP treatment. Unfortunately, however, a significant proportion of patients did not receive a planned treatment due to disease progression or died within 3 months of treatment suggesting availability came too late. While CAPs can provide meaningful benefit, they are not a substitute for timely approval of novel agents.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsCompassionate Use TrialsNeoplasmsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansIrelandMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAntineoplastic AgentsApprovalCancerCompassionate accessDrugImmunotherapyIrelandManaged accessNovelOncologyPharmacoeconomicsReimbursementTargeted therapy

Identifiers

PMID40117035
PMCPMC12276104

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.