Scoring Progress Against Cancer: New Tool Measures Cancer Progress to Help Inform Research and Policy Decisions

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of World Cancer Day 2015, amidst the ongoing cost-of-cancer-care debate, PACE (Patient Access to Cancer care Excellence), a Lilly Oncology initiative, is launching the PACE Continuous Innovation Indicators™ (CII). CII is the first evidence-based, customizable online tool to review progress against cancer over time—initially covering 12 cancer types. The purpose of the tool is to inform public policy reforms and other efforts to accelerate continuous innovation against cancer.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7419451-eli-lilly-oncology-pace/

"We have seen tremendous progress in cancer treatment and care during the past decades, and continuous innovation, with one discovery building on another, is responsible for most of it," said John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY). "To keep the momentum going, we need policies that support continuous innovation, but first we need a deeper understanding of the innovations that have occurred, and where we need to be."

CII will Initially Focus on 12 Tumor Types 
For the first time, CII will make it possible for policymakers, health policy experts and patient advocates to visualize progress against cancer over time, gain a better understanding of how value in cancer treatment evolves and consider the potential impact of policy reforms on the speed of innovation. The tool will permit the user to obtain objective measures of progress against cancer, initially comparing 12 tumor types, including: breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, skin (melanoma), stomach, rectum and testes.

At the heart of CII are thousands of pieces of evidence curated and coded by trained analysts from authoritative, published sources—such as clinical trial records and meta-analyses, observational studies and historical references. The tool, which provides a layered interface with a range of information, generates summary graphs from which a user can access supporting evidence and additional information. In its initial launch period, CII will be made available to other organizations by request.

CII to Launch at Washington, D.C. Forum 
CII will be unveiled today, Jan. 29, at a forum, "Scoring Progress Against Cancer: A New Tool to Track Continuous Innovation, and Public Policies to Speed It Up," attended by approximately 90 patient advocates, researchers, policy experts and thought leaders. The forum will feature a panel discussion on policy reforms to speed continuous innovation against cancer. It will be moderated by health technology assessment expert Clifford Goodman, Ph.D., PACE Global Council participant and Senior Vice President and Director, Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research, The Lewin Group. Distinguished speakers and panelists include: John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Chairman,  President, and Chief Executive Officer, Eli Lilly and Company; Jeff Allen, Ph.D., Executive Director, Friends of Cancer Research; Alan Balch, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, National Patient Advocate Foundation; Peter Huber, Ph.D., J.D., Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Lynn M. Matrisian, Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice President of Scientific and Medical Affairs, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network; and Silvia Paddock, Ph.D., lead CII researcher and Senior Associate, Rose Li and Associates. The forum will be held from 12:30-2:45 p.m. EST at the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., and is sponsored by PACE, Friends of Cancer Research and the National Patient Advocate Foundation. To view the live stream, register at https://pacenetworkusa.com/register.php.

CII emerged from a two-year collaboration between PACE and Rose Li and Associates, a U.S.-based research firm. A manuscript, "PACE Continuous Innovation Indicators—A Novel Tool to Measure Progress in Cancer Treatments," was accepted for publication in ecancermedicalscience journal on Jan. 7, 2015. To learn more about CII, visit www.pacenetworkusa.com/continuousinnovation.    

About PACE 
PACE, now in its fourth year, is a global collaboration that encourages public policies and healthcare decisions that speed the development of new medicines, assure cancer treatments respond to the needs and qualities of individual patients and improve patient access to the most effective cancer medicines. PACE engages key oncology stakeholders, including: patients, advocacy, payers, policymakers, providers, the public, researchers and politicians. To learn more about PACE, please visit https://pacenetworkusa.com/. 

About Lilly Oncology
For more than fifty years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit http://www.lillyoncology.com/patient/.  

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. (C-LLY)

Refer to: (+31) 06-1500-6046; [email protected]; Corina Ramers-Verhoeven (Lilly)
(212) 453-2142; [email protected]; Madeleine Shin (TogoRun)

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company