5 Jun 2020
Association workshop at its 2019 world congress was springboard for article that is pushing for better coordination between human and animal health pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
WSAVA one health committee member Chand Khanna.
A manuscript has been published highlighting the value of collaboration between the human and animal health pharmaceutical and biotech sectors in developing one health cancer treatments.
A workshop on comparative oncology hosted by WSAVA’s one health committee (OHC) during its 2019 World Congress in Toronto has led to publication of a manuscript calling for all parties to speed up development of oncology treatments for humans and dogs.
The workshop had been led by diplomates and leading vets in the field, with an aim of developing a strategy for enhancing cancer drug development using a one health approach.
Many cancers are common to companion animals and humans, which offers the opportunities if cancers and potential treatments are studied in parallel.
Delegates at the workshop included other members of the WSAVA OHC, academics and industry representatives working in cancer research and drug discovery.
A manuscript stemming from the workshop’s discussions has now been published.
it outlines 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.
Chang Khanna is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and on the WSAVA OHC.
He said: “The new perspective on comparative oncology we outline provides an innovative, self-funding approach to improve human cancer drug development and we are delighted this new development incentive strategy using comparative oncology was initiated with the support of the WSAVA OHC.
“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.”
The authors and the WSAVA OHC plan to use the manuscript as the springboard for further new initiatives to expand awareness of comparative oncology, and to drive forward its use to better aligning human and animal health pharma and biotech.
