HI GUYS,
SO AS I HAVE SAID, I EMAILED THE CHEIF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT ASTRAZENECA, AND I REVIEVED A RESPONSE TODAY CLARIFYING THEIR PLANS.
I HAVE COPIED AND PASTED THE EMAIL DIRECTLY WHICH IS AS FOLLOWS:
On Jan 20, 2012 9:02 AM, "Fisher, Graham V" <
Graham.Fisher@astrazeneca.com> wrote:
Dear Ms Palmer,
We are writing to in response to your email received via AstraZeneca.com Contact Us that you sent on 18th January 2012.
We fully understand your deep concerns around the continuing supply of cediranib after the end of 2012 and hope to be able to clarify the situation for you.
The development of the drug has indeed been ceased. This is because data emerging from our clinical programme indicated the development of the drug in our primary indications could not be supported, this decision was driven purely by the emerging clinical data versus our ability to overcome the regulatory requirements needed to register cediranib. Of course we recognise there are some patients who derive benefit from the drug and with this in mind our protocols and informed consent were written to allow some flexibility.
Hence we have indicated that in patients who continue to derive benefit from the drug after the completion of the trial, they may continue to receive cediranib. The decision to do this will depend on the Investigator's assessment of benefit in consultation with our Medical Science Director.
Therefore, in your case, should the Doctor running the cediranib trial at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre recommend you continue to receive cediranib after the closure of the trial – which will be based upon their assessment of your response and benefit from the drug - and our Medical Science Director agrees with their assessment and recommendation, there is a mechanism in place and a willingness to enable this to happen and continue to supply cediranib to you beyond the end of 2012 should the trial close at this point.
What we have to be transparent about is, of course, we cannot guarantee supply of the drug for an indefinite duration since this will depend upon our residual stocks of cediranib and the expiry date.
I sincerely hope this clarifies the position and helps to alleviate at least your immediate concerns.
We are delighted you are benefiting from the drug and genuinely hope you continue to do so. We wish you and your family well.
Yours sincerely
Marcello Marotii. Medical Science Director
Graham Fisher. Clinical Programme Director
Graham Fisher Section Director/ CPD for Cediranib ____________________________________________________________