What is the future of healthcare and when will it arrive? To explore these and similar questions I visited with Dr. Ben Locwin and Scott Endicott in a five-episode podcast series. Over this series we will explore why the future of healthcare is now; gene and cell therapy, the use and misuse of statistics, Hippocrates and modern healthcare and where healthcare will be headed down the road. In this Part 2, we consider personalized medicine.
The use of personalized medicine, such as cell therapies, gene therapies, and digital therapeutics, is revolutionizing the healthcare industry. In this Part 2 of a special five-part series, Tom Fox, Ben Locwin, and Scott discussed the changes to regulatory pathways and expanded access programs to speed up the approval process for drugs and treatments, as well as the long-term risks associated with taking certain drugs. They also provided advice on how to engage with them on the topics discussed, such as using LinkedIn and Google Search, and concluded the episode by inviting listeners to join them for their next episode. This podcast episode provides an insightful look into the future of personalized medicine and the potential risks and benefits associated with it.
Digital therapeutics, for example, have enabled the ability to measure and install a pump that replicates the functions of the pancreas in real time. Regulatory pathways for device and diagnostic approvals have been simplified and expectations and standards have been shifted. Expanded access programs have been created to allow access to treatments between the end of a clinical study and formal approval. These programs have been especially beneficial for rare disease patients and pediatric patients, as well as late stage oncology patients. Advocacy groups have successfully lobbied for access to treatments for MS and other rare diseases. Risk-benefit utility curves can be used to understand the implications of healthcare decisions.
Personalized medicine is defined as medical therapies that are designed specifically for each individual patient to whom they’ll be administered. An example of personalized medicine is personalized dosing of warfarin, which could prevent 17,000 strokes in the United States annually and avoid 43,000 emergency room visits. Cell therapies, such as Chimeric antigen Receptor T cell Therapy (Car T), are personalized using either a donor or the patient’s own blood. Gene therapies are also used in personalized medicine. Supply chain, as it is currently understood, may well no longer exist in ten years from now and instead it will look a lot more like a disc that is going to be placed into a personalized sort of therapeutic pump that’s attached to your body. Insulin delivery has become extremely personal, used to be broad based, and required separate measurements of blood sugars and titrating a dose based on that. Dexcom has been providing personalized medicine for a number of years.
Personalized medicine is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, and it is important to understand the long-term risks associated with taking certain drugs. It is also important to understand the regulatory pathways and expanded access programs that have been created to speed up the approval process for these drugs and treatments. With the right resources and guidance, individuals can make informed decisions about their healthcare and take advantage of the many benefits that personalized medicine has to offer.
Key Highlights
· Cell and gene therapy
· Personalized medicine
· Risk-benefit utility
Resources
Dr. Ben Locwin on LinkedIn
Scott Endicott on LinkedIn
Tom Fox on LinkedIn
