New Drug Development Needed in Pancreatic Cancer

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In the final segment of the discussion, moderator Johanna Bendell, MD, asks panelists for their thoughts on the management of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Francis P. Arena, MD, feels that research needs to move more heavily into the community setting, which is where 85% of patients are treated. Having more community-based research will quicken the pace of new development.

One of the major issues with drug development is the slow pace of research and diffusion of knowledge, adds Ramesh K. Ramanathan, MD. The current regulatory environment and costs add to this dilemma.

Despite these hurdles, as a result of recent research patients with pancreatic cancer have far more choices than ever before, states E. Gabriela Chiorean, MD. In addition to new classes of treatments, new formulations of existing drugs should also be considered, such as nab-paclitaxel, Chiorean believes.