July 12, 2013

expert reaction to the Academy of Medical Sciences’ report on stratified (personalised) medicine

The Academy of Medical Sciences released a new report, ‘Realising the potential of stratified medicine’, that identifies and proposes solutions to the ongoing barriers to progress in the development of stratified medicine. This roundup accompanied an SMC briefing.

Stephen Whitehead, Chief Executive, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said:

“The ABPI welcomes this report and we were delighted to co-sponsor and engage with our colleagues at the Academy of Medical Sciences to develop the findings contained within it.  We have been intensively engaged on the development of an integrated personalised medicine approach.  The UK is uniquely placed to capitalise on the potential of stratified medicine due to its strong academic and industrial research base, clinical research infrastructure, and the unique potential of the NHS and health informatics.  However the report rightly raises issues that must be addressed for UK success – principally regulation, value assessment and health service adoption of stratified medicine.

“The development of personalised medicine will bring benefits to patients and the healthcare system; it will also improve the efficiency and productivity of developing new treatments, and enhance UK competitiveness and attractiveness for drug and diagnostic research and development (R&D).”

Professor Alan Ashworth, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), said:

“I’m very excited about the potential of stratified medicine – and beyond that, fully personalised medicine – for treating cancer. Indeed some targeted drugs, such as the example of vemurafenib highlighted in today’s report, are already making a real difference to cancer patients in the UK.

“It was never going to be straightforward to turn the promise of personalised medicine into reality, partly because the more we learn about the genetics of tumours, the more intricate they turn out to be. But we are making real and measurable progress, and as our knowledge of cancer genetics accelerates and with enhanced collaboration between academia and industry, I would expect to see more targeted drugs like vemurafenib, trastuzumab and imatinib in the near future.”

‘Realising the potential of stratified medicine’ by the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), published on Friday 12 July.