Manuscript calls for collaborative approach to drug development
"We hope our recommendations will reposition comparative oncology canine trials as integral and parallel to human development" - Dr Chand Khanna.
A new WSAVA-supported manuscript has highlighted the value of collaboration between the human and animal pharmaceutical and biotech sectors in drug development.
The manuscript follows a workshop on comparative oncology, hosted by the WSAVA's One Health Committee (WSAVA OHC) at its 2019 World Congress in Toronto. The workshop was led by researchers in human and animal medicine and was attended by academics and industry representatives working in cancer research.
Many cancers that afflict dogs also occur in humans, giving researchers the chance to improve lives by studying cancers and treatments in parallel. Delegates at the workshop included other members of the WSAVA OHC, academics and industry representatives working in cancer research.
In the manuscript, researchers outline new commercial perspectives on the value of closer relationships between the human and animal health pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, to deliver a ‘win/win’ for successful cancer drug development in humans and dogs.
Manuscript author Dr Chand Khanna, from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology), commented: “We hope our recommendations will reposition comparative oncology canine trials as integral and parallel to human development and that this move will create opportunities for step-wise iteration and the improvements in the human cancer drug development path that are increasingly necessary.”
Dr Michael Lappin, chair of WSAVA One Health Committee, added: “The field of comparative oncology as part of cancer drug development stands out as a successful example of the One Health approach to medicine and this new manuscript presents a nuanced and novel strategy to deliver this translational opportunity.”
The authors and the WSAVA OHC plan to use the manuscript as a springboard for further new initiatives to expand awareness of comparative oncology. They also hope to drive forward its use to create a closer alignment of human and animal health pharma and biotech.
The manuscript, entitled ‘Delivering innovation to oncology drug development through cancer drug DISCO (Development Incentive Strategy using comparative oncology): Perspectives, gaps and solutions’, is published in the journal Annals of Medicine and Clinical Oncology.
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
