PATIENT ENGAGEMENT NETWORK

Bringing the Voice of the Patient to Clinical Trials

The design of a clinical trial is about much more than collecting data and testing medicines, it’s about the patients who volunteer their time and their bodies in the search for new treatment options.

To ensure the patient is at the center of our sponsored clinical trials in breast cancer, we hosted a Patient Engagement Network meeting, or PEN, bringing together nine women diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, caregivers, providers and advocacy groups to share insights into their disease with company researchers who are designing a clinical trial. This was our first PEN panel meeting dedicated to understanding the needs and disease journeys of patients diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that affects about 18% of breast cancer patients.

The women’s insights will help guide the design of a clinical trial for a new treatment regimen. “Our clinical team came out of the PEN with a new understanding of the challenges and concerns these patients have when they’re considering a clinical trial,” says Helen Kellar-Wood, Ph.D., Diversity and Patient Engagement Lead.

And it didn’t stop there. Helen went on to say that, “We also learned how they felt about their diagnosis, how they feel about clinical trials in general and what our company can do to support them."

As the trial is being designed, the clinical team incorporates patient perspectives learned through the PEN discussions. “Transportation to the clinical site was raised as an important consideration, so we’ll take steps to ensure that trial sites are close to where there are significant numbers of patients,” Helen says.

Patients also asked for information and education materials about immuno-oncology therapy to get them “prepared not scared” and to have support materials available for their caregivers.

“The PEN panel provides a unique opportunity for our team to better understand clinical and logistic factors that affect patients most before, during and after treatment,” says Kristen Letrent, Pharm.D., Clinical Trial Lead, Oncology Clinical Development. “Insights gained from in-depth discussions with patients managing triple negative breast cancer can help us design the very best clinical trials for this patient population.”