Educational needs, perception, and perspectives of oncologists regarding compassionate use programs in Asia

This study was conducted to capture the educational needs, perceptions, and perspectives of oncologists towards Compassionate Use Programs (CUPs) in Asia, with the aim of gathering insights related to unmet needs for physician and patient assistance.

The participants responded to a voluntary, self-administered, closed-ended questionnaire through an online platform between 29 April 2020 and 17 June 2020.

A total of 111 oncologists provided informed consent to participate in the study. Of these, 102 respondents fully completed the questionnaire and were included in the analyses. Maximum respondents (35.3%) had 10-20 years of experience after specialization with 19.6, 23.5, and 21.6% respondents having <5, 5-10, and ≥20 years of experience, respectively. Practice type plays a statistically significant role in the awareness of the existing compassionate program (p = .0066). While many respondents seem clear on the application process for CUP set in place by pharmaceutical companies, a higher number of respondents are unclear about the country regulations and processes for applying to CUPs set in place by regulatory authorities. Most respondents (75.5%) reported that there are no resources or training provided to them regarding CUPs. There was a significant association between the clarity of the application process for CUP set in place by the sponsors and the number of applications submitted (p = .0321).

Our study brings light on various issues faced by physicians in accessing CUPs especially related to the lack of education and training on utilizing CUPs. There are significant unmet needs related to improving the clarity for the application process, providing resources and related training, particularly for oncologists who do not have previous experience with CUPs.