As part of the Life Raft Group’s continuing mission to be actively involved in improving the quality of healthcare for cancer patients, I attended the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiatives (CTTI) member meeting in Rockville, Maryland from April 23-24th. CTTI is a partnership between the FDA and Duke University which seeks to develop and drive practices that will increase the quality and efficiency of clinical trials.
The theme for the two-day networking event was: Opportunities in an Evolving Health Care Environment. Meeting objectives included:
- Learning about forward looking efforts to shape medical product research for the future
- Considering opportunities for CTTI to help stakeholders prepare for clinical trials as they are likely to evolve over the next ten years
- Laying the foundation for new CTTI projects
Presentations included a panel addressing “Global Perspectives on Regulatory Priorities to Improve Public Health”, which covered ICH, European, and developing countries perspectives; discussions on “Novel Approaches with Promise” and “Using Case Studies to Highlight and Influence Change”. There was also a group discussion focusing on “Implications for CTTI’s Mission and Strategy” considering both future projects and potential changes in focus for the CTTI.
This was a good opportunity to share the Life Raft Group’s story with members of other advocacy groups, government and the private sector as two of the CTTIs recommendations are to involve patient groups as equal partners and to utilize patient registries to conduct more efficient clinical trials.
The meeting confirmed the importance of real world data and real world evidence, a primary focus of the LRG.
The LRG is a member of the CTTI Steering Committee, which provides input into decisions about CTTI priorities, projects and recommendations.
