Extract from second reading debate (Commons) of the Medicines and Medical Devices Bill - Mar 2
Tuesday, 3 March 2020 08:22
Dr Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire) (SNP):...International
collaboration is critical to research, and the European research
network is the biggest in the world—bigger than China and bigger
than the US. As mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for East
Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Dr Cameron) and the hon.
Member for Bolton West, that collaboration is vital for rare
diseases, where the number of patients in any one country is low.
That is why we have made so much progress in rare...Request free trial
(Central Ayrshire)
(SNP):...International collaboration is critical to research, and
the European research network is the biggest in the world—bigger
than China and bigger than the US. As mentioned by my hon. Friend
the Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Dr
Cameron) and the hon. Member for Bolton West, that collaboration is
vital for rare diseases, where the number of patients in any one
country is low. That is why we have made so much progress in rare
diseases, childhood diseases and childhood cancers in the past
decade or so—because of funding from the EMA and collaboration on
an extensive Europe-wide basis. As regards cancer, my own
specialty, half of all UK cancer trials are international, and 28%
of Cancer Research UK trials involve at least one other EU state.
The BEACON trial for recurrent Neuroblastoma
involves 10 countries. It was designed in the UK, but the principal
investigator is in Spain. Some of the original funding came from
the UK, but the drug comes from Switzerland. Ten countries are
contributing to trying to find hope for children and families
suffering from this horrible disease, for which we are struggling
to find a cure. There were 4,800 UK-EU trials between 2014 and
2016. How will the Government maintain that sort of collaboration
and involvement?
To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE
|
