Dive Brief:
- QuintilesIMS has launched a collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck KGaA and Pfizer to understand real-world use of cancer drugs in Europe.
- This will fill in the gaps in the existing information available, and provide access to current rather than just historical information.
- Cancer is the leading cause of death in Europe, second only to cardiovascular disease. There are three million new cases and 1.7 million deaths each year.
Dive Insight:
While clinical trial data is useful for confirming safety and efficacy, it doesn't show how patients and physicians use the drugs in the real-world. However, existing real-world data is generally retrospective, so it gives a view of what has been used in the past, rather than what is being used now.
By collaborating with big pharma companies, QuintilesIMS aims to gain better insight into everyday use of cancer therapeutics across key European markets. This will include which drugs are being used for which forms of cancer, and how they are being used. This will show the companies what sequence of drugs are being given to patients.
This kind of information will help companies developing new drugs to understand the markets and treatment landscape. It will also help healthcare providers and governments to create best practices and understand the most efficient and effective way to use their budgets.
"This new initiative is intended to provide more timely, consistent and comprehensive data resources that could be used to provide further insight for healthcare systems to make better informed decisions on patient care in the future. Importantly, substantial steps have been taken to obtain these insights while respecting individual privacy," said QuintilesIMS in a statement.
QuintilesIMS was formed as a merger last month between the global information and technology services company, IMS Health, and Quintiles, a provider of product development and integrated healthcare services.