AnCan VIRTUALLY speaks to Extended Access Programs!
When AnCan Advisory Board Member, Jeff Waldron asked us to participate in a pharmaceutical industry Conference on Expanded Access Programs (EAP) in Boston at the end of March, we were only to happy to amplify the patient voice.
A couple of background factors. For those of you not aware, EAP is the name given to programs that allow needy patients access to groundbreaking drugs that have not yet received regulatory approval – in the US case, by the FDA. All of our guys who received Pluvicto (Lu177 PSMA 617) through ‘Managed Access’ last year were actually enrolled in a form of EAP. As you may recall, when the FDA approved Pluvicto, the Managed Access Program ceased to exist and patients were rapidly transferred to commercial providers.
Our good friend, Jeff Waldron, has a back ground working with both Payers and Pharma. He is one of our most well-connected Advisors, and for the past 3 years, has organized an international EAP Conference. All but the smallest pharmas have an EAP. The past two years conferences were virtual, but this year it was held live in Boston from March 21-23.
Rick Davis attended virtually on behalf of AnCan to participate in a panel moderated by Jeff entitled,“Closing the Gap of How We Reach Patients”. Ours was the sole direct patient particpation in the 2-day proceedings, and one thing was for sure – they couldn’t miss ‘rd’ as you’ll see from the photgraph alongside. Live feedback was very positive, especially from hearing the difficulties patients encounter. Perhaps the single exception.was a senior drug executive from a pharma with whom AnCan works closely. She presented for 25 minutes immediately before the Panel, finally mentioning patients in her closing sentence. When Rick pointed that out, she was none too pleased.
So what did we say. The take- away points for pharma were:
Publcize your EAP in a way that is understandable and accessible to and for patients
Provide support to the patients’ medical team filling out the paperwork to help eliminate that as a hurdle to access
Respond quickly so patients are not hanging out waiting to hear if they can access the EAP drug
Be sure trialled drugs are available to patients benefitting from their use, if the trial is stopped and the drug has not been approved.
AnCan’rs – just another example of how we ensure your voice is being heard … we have your back!
AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal!
March’s guest was fantastic, meet Hal Walker!
Hal is a writer, musician and social media sensation from Kent, Ohio (2.3 million TikTok followers). Now mostly housebound and bed-based, over the last two years he has experienced the onset of moderately severe ME/CFS (Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome). Hal also produces the weekly Substack publication, Living in a Body. You can learn more about him here.
Hal performed original music on musical instruments from around the world, and discussed using creativity as a survival tool for long haul illness.
AnCan and The Marsh (well renown, long-established theater company with a large following in the Bay Area and venues in San Francisco and Oakland) collaborateevery 4th Wednesday of the month for Solo Arts Heal!
You’re gonna love February’s show, featuring Sasha Soreff!
Sasha is a New York City-based choreographer, empathy/movement facilitator, and certified transformational coach.
She is currently offering online workshops to support embodying, expressing, and empathizing with grief. Sasha weaves somatic movement, relational neuroscience, and transformational principles together. Through this, workshop participants experience compassionate self-connection and soulful, embodied expression.
As Artistic Director of Sasha Soreff Dance Theater (SSDT), she has been creating and sharing multigenerational, interactive work for two decades, including her signature piece, “The Dancer Who Wore Sneakers and Other Tales,” created in response to a chronic foot condition that reshaped her creative life. Her work has been seen on stages, sidewalks, and community spaces from the Ailey Citigroup Theater to the Queens Museum of Art.
Sasha has taught modern dance and student performance workshops for close to three decades. She is on faculty at NYC’s Gibney Dance and The International Partner Dance Intensive, and recently guest taught at NYU Langone’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities. She has served as a teaching assistant to kinesthetic anatomist Irene Dowd and was a founding company member of Isabel Gotzkowsky and Friends dance company. A Maine native, she graduated from high school at North Carolina School of the Arts with a concentration in modern dance and received a BA from Barnard College.
Sasha shared excerpts from the four eras of her dancing career, which was transformed by her experiences with painful neuropathy and cancer. As artistic director of Sasha Soreff Dance Theater, she created her signature piece, “The Dancer Who Wore Sneakers and Other Tales,” in response to a chronic foot condition that reshaped her creative life. Long-term experiences with neuropathy in her feet, as well as a cancer journey, have inspired her artistry and invigorated her commitment to creating communal spaces for deep empathy, embodiment, and healing.
Alexa, John, and Briaunna even joined in the fun with a dance that you can do too!
Hi-Risk/Recurrent/Advanced PCa Video Chat, Feb 20, 2023
AnCan is grateful to the following sponsors for making this recording posssible: Bayer, Foundation Medicine, Pfizer, Janssen, Myriad Gentics, Myovant & Telix
All AnCan’s groups are free and drop-in … join us in person sometime! You can find out more about our 12 monthly prostate cancer meetings at https://ancan.org/prostate-cancer/ Sign up to receive a weekly Reminder/Newsletter for this Group or others at https://ancan.org/contact-us/
Editor’s Pick:Let’s talk financial assistance … and a little mutation edcuation!! rd
Topics Discussed
PSA recurrence from mystery source; appointment made with a real GU med onc; what’s this TP53 index – allele frequency??; GU med oncs at MSKCC; chemo drives down PSA but no change in scans; buy a hard hat Dr. Kwon – Oliver Sartor’s inbound!; keep your hair with chemo; monitoring disease post salvage RT; finding financial assistance; when it comes to PSMA scans, mCRPC not the same as mHSPC; PSA up post chemo while abi challenges liver function; MPCP doesn’t provide patient feedback; PSA creeps up on IHT.
Chat Log
David Muslinsent · 6:25 PM
I did say that because he had a met in his girdle
Herb Courtney sent · 6:25 PM
Re the Axumin scan, I had a negative one at a PSA of ~6
sent · 6:30 PM
it took my brother well over a year before his post-radiation PSA started to drop
AnCan – ricksent · 6:42 PM
Bless you Norm!!!
George Rovder, Arlington VA sent · 6:54 PM
Thank you all. I have to go. George
Frank Fabish Columbus OH sent · 7:11 PM
Thanks guys for sharing. gotta go.
Herb Courtney sent · 7:16 PM
Thanks guys. Gotta go to dinner.
John A sent · 7:24 PM
Headache is getting to me so I have to go, but I want to thank everyone who wrote or called me with support since my head injury. If I wrote gibberish or wrote twice to someone sorry, I discovered I sent several emails in a blackout! If I forgot a message try again. I am slowly improving.
gary peters sent · 7:31 PM
I believe Rick may be referring to the Formula 509 trial
Don Eisner sent · 7:40 PM
Have to leave now
Phil Snyder (Houston) sent · 7:52 PM
Have to leave.
Jim – Tucson sent · 8:05 PM
Got to leave, thanks.
Richard Tolbert sent · 8:07 PM
Thanks Jim. One of my former reps works for Pfizer who markets XTANDI with Astellas is working with his leadership to see if they will provide assistance. In 2022 I had a grant from The Assistance Fund that covered both ORGOVYX. I was denied 2023 funding due to lack of funding.
Pat Martin sent · 8:17 PM
Gonna head out. See you all next week
Stan Friedman sent · 8:26 PM
Sorry, I’m fading and need to leave. Thanks for the input on possible MSK docs. Will keep you up to date.
Bob G sent · 8:31 PM
Thanks all. Gotta get up early for program where I’m matched with a cancer researcher. Going to his lab tomorrow morning.
Hi-Risk/Recurrent/Advanced PCa Video Chat, Feb 14, 2023
AnCan is grateful to the following sponsors for making this recording posssible: Bayer, Foundation Medicine, Pfizer, Janssen, Myriad Gentics, Myovant & Telix
All AnCan’s groups are free and drop-in … join us in person sometime! You can find out more about our 12 monthly prostate cancer meetings at https://ancan.org/prostate-cancer/
Sign up to receive a weekly Reminder/Newsletter for this Group or others at https://ancan.org/contact-us/
Editor’s pick: Prostatectomy and recurrence…in a Gleason 3+3. (bn)
Topics Discussed
Rug pulled out on his Xtandi and Orgovyx financial support; two great docs to choose from in Houston; options if you’re de novo, living on Maui, and have Kaiser insurance; 2016 prostatectomy for a Gleason 6 — and now PSA is climbing; nighttime leg cramps as radiation treatments end — try Theraworx, Caleb Treeze, pickle juice; EmbrWave still hot topic; Gleason 10 a decade ago and he’s still going strong; hyperbaric chamber report — ear issues and blood pressure but cystitis is improved; still battling fatigue 9 months post-ADT, though testosterone is back and he’s active; Antanorakis OKs a 6-month ADT shot; mailman won’t stop bringing pills; bladder bleeds during clinical trial but he’s sticking it out; for neuropathy, Voltaren and/or bumpy sandals; half-gallon-a-day drinker of corn silk tea for cystitis; radiation therapy might be OK with colitis.
Chat Log
Peter Kafka-Maui HI · 6:24 PM Dr. Eleni Estathiou at Houston Methodist or Dr. Paul Corn at MD Anderson
Rick · 7:14 PM No gents …. maybe micro Mx.. Pelvic girdle RT stilstan
Rick · 7:16 PM Still Standard
Rick · 7:17 PM High volume 3+3 can warrant surgery
Peter Kafka-Maui HI · 7:19 PM Theraworx
Harry Spila · 7:20 PM therworx is great stuff
Harry Spila · 7:20 PM it’s like a foam
George Wesoloski · 7:22 PM Epson salt (Magnesium sulfate) and soak in the bathtub
Ravi · 7:23 PM I have to leave now. All I wanted to report on was regarding what I am doing for my severe radiation cystitis. I am undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy 2 hours every day at 2.5 atm pressure of 100% oxygen. Had 10 treatments so far, about 1.5 more months to go.
Richard Tolbert · 7:26 PM For Leg and Foot Cramps: Proven Old Amish Formula.Caleb Treeze Organic Farms. 818.247.9600. Some health food stores carry , also try amazon.
Rick · 7:34 PM Stay away from 6 month shots
Rick · 7:35 PM Just check T in last 2mo N t hs
Pat Martin · 7:39 PM Capivasertib
Jim B · 7:49 PM Pat, What was the name of the arthritic cream that you use to relieve neuropathy?
George Wesoloski · 7:49 PM I could do an update.
David Muslin · 7:50 PM Prostotectemy praa · stuh · tek · tuh · mee
Pat Martin · 7:52 PM Volteran…diclofenac sodium topical gel 1% I’ve talked with a pharmacist that has concocted up to 5%
Jim B · 7:54 PM Thanks Pat! I’ll be giving that a try for the same neuropathy issues that I’m experiencing from chemo.
Frank Fabish Columbus OH · 7:55 PM got to go guys see you next week
Pat Martin · 7:56 PM I usually get the generic, usually right beside name brand, 10% discount
Rick Davis attended virtually on behalf of AnCan to participate in a panel moderated by Jeff entitled,“Closing the Gap of How We Reach Patients”. Ours was the sole direct patient particpation in the 2-day proceedings, and one thing was for sure – they couldn’t miss ‘rd’ as you’ll see from the photgraph alongside. Live feedback was very positive, especially from hearing the difficulties patients encounter. Perhaps the single exception.was a senior drug executive from a pharma with whom AnCan works closely. She presented for 25 minutes immediately before the Panel, finally mentioning patients in her closing sentence. When Rick pointed that out, she was none too pleased.
