Our Goal
To make financial neutrality and financial support for trial participants the norm in all oncology clinical trials.
By “financial neutrality,” we mean reducing or removing non-medical, out-of-pocket costs to clinical trial participants through financial support programs offered by the trial sponsor (or other entity). These may be costs associated with travel, lodging, meals, lost wages, and care of children, elders, and pets for patients and/or caregivers.
Patients cite cost as a top reason for declining clinical trial participation. The role that financial considerations play in influencing someone’s decision to join and/or stay in a study differs according to a range of factors: geography, personal support network, employment and/or government assistance status, and more. Without comprehensive, explicit regulatory guidance on the acceptability of financial support for trial participants, sponsor and IRB interpretations of what is fair, compliant, and achievable will continue to vary.
The initiative—hosted by LUNGevity Foundation, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, and the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard—consists of a steering group and three working groups tasked with: