This module is presented in association with the Global Alliance for Patient Advocacy (GAfPA)

Introduced by: Neil Betteridge, GAfPA
Section 1 presented by: David Charles, M.D., CMO, Vanderbilt University Clinical Neurosciences Institute
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Section 2 presented by: Anthony Woolf, MBBS, Clinical Director, NHS National Institute of Health Research Clinical Research Network South Peninsula, UK
Section 3 presented by: Anna Molinari, JD, Associate Attorney, White & Case LLP, USA

Duration: 28 mins total
Sections: 3

While neurological conditions are prevalent, disabling and costly, for far too long they did not benefit from the investment in research necessary to discover new treatments and cures.  But in recent years, investment in research has yielded new treatments for migraine headache, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and rare neurological conditions. New therapies offer new promise for Europeans living with neurological conditions. Yet for every research success story there are dozens of failures.  And one of the impediments to advancing the research is low levels of clinical trials participation.

Patient access starts with medical research. Clinical trials are an essential part of developing the new medicines, devices and diagnostics that improve health and quality of life worldwide. Clinical trials determine whether new treatments are safe and effective. Robust enrollment is necessary for that research to succeed, but several challenges stand in the way.

This module will explain how impediments to clinical trials enrollment are in fact the first barrier to patients accessing the next generation of innovative treatments and cures. The module will specify the multifaceted access barriers, and the opportunities for policymakers, health care providers and patient advocates to improve access and advance medical innovation.