Precision medicine in oncology drug development: a pharma perspective

A rapid expansion in precision medicine founded on the potential for durable clinical benefit through matching a drug to a predictive marker used to select patients has driven the development of targeted drugs with accompanied companion diagnostics for patient selection. Oncology has been at the forefront, with the improvements in patient survival notable. Increasing numbers of molecular subgroups require an equally increasing number (and new generation) of highly selective agents targeting inevitably lower incidence molecular segments, posing significant challenges for drug development. Innovative trial designs (umbrella or basket studies) are emerging as patient-centric approaches and public-private partnerships, cross-industry, government and non-profit sector collaborations are enabling implementation. Success will require continued innovation, new paradigms in oncology drug development and market approval and continued collaboration.