NIH Cancer Chief Wants to Revamp Clinical Trials

Inefficiencies in the cancer clinical trial system are preventing good ideas from getting tested and driving up the cost of developing new drugs, the NIH’s cancer chief said.

Ned Sharpless, director of the National Cancer Institute, said in prepared remarks April 16 he wanted to modernize the clinical trial system to allow more oncology patients to participate and align more closely with targeted treatments based on a better understanding of the genomic underpinnings of cancer. Clinical trials was one of four focus areas—along with workforce development, basic science, and big data—Sharpless said would be priorities for him.

Sharpless’s speech ...