578 People Signed This Petition To Expand Trials For Drug R1507!

Brian McBride organized a petition to pharmaceutical company Genentech (which has acquired Roche) to continue development of R1507 and to initiate a trial of R1507 for wildtype and pediatric GIST patients.  Scroll down this page to see the petition and to read the background information explaining why this petition was urgently needed.

Brian collected 578 names of supporters who signed the petition, which was sent to Genentech and Roche to arrive December 7. 

THANK YOU to all the supporters! 

Letters already sent by organizations:

GIST Support International sent one letter November 20 (view pdf here) in support of continuing development of R1507 and proceeding with the planned trial of R1507 for wildtype and pediatric GIST.

A coalition of GIST groups from around the world (including GIST Support International, LifeRaft Group, and the Global GIST Network) also sent a joint letter (read pdf here) on December 4 to request that development of R1507 be continued and that the trial for GIST patients be started soon.

Why this petition is needed now:

Our Wild Type and Pediatric GIST patients are anxiously awaiting a first line drug that can potentially stabilize their tumor growth and extend their lives. Dr. Margaret von Mehren (of Fox-Chase Cancer Center) and Dr. Katherine Janeway (of Dana-Farber Canncer Institute) have written a protocol for a trial of R1507, an inhibitor of the insulin-related growth factor receptor 1 (IGF-R1), to be sponsored by SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration).  Initiation of this trial is threatened by pending corporate decisions of Roche and Genentech. 

Roche has recently merged with Genentech,  resulting in changes within Roche to form joint pipelines with approximately 1/3 of the studies being cut.  Roche and Genentech will be meeting December 8, 2009 to make the decision to either continue or stop the development of R1507, which is in numerous currently open clinical trials.

SARC has been planning the GIST trial of R1507 for over a year and hopes to offer the trial early in 2010 with sites at the NIH Clinic for Pediatric & Wildtype GIST and at other locations.  If R1507 development is cancelled, the trial for wildtype GIST will be delayed for perhaps another year while an alternative  drug is sought.  SARC has suggested to Genentech some possible ways to let this trial go forward.

Pediatric and Wildtype GIST patients need this R1507 trial to experience the dramatic benefits that this drug is believed to offer – hope, a better quality of life, and a  pardon from an early death sentence. 

Our Petition

TO:  Mr. Pascal Soriot, CEO of Genentech, Inc.
       Mr. William M. Burns, CEO, Division Roche Pharma
CC:  Dr. Sandra J. Horning, Senior Vice President and Global Head,  
            Clinical Development Hematology/Oncology, Genentech, Inc.

AN URGENT PETITION TO ROCHE AND GENENTECH TO EXPAND TRIALS FOR DRUG R1507

We implore Genentech and Roche to support gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cancer patients by continuing trials for R1507. This drug has demonstrated great promise and should not be discontinued when it is about to enter a trial against wildtype and pediatric GIST.

R1507 may also have broad applicability for many other cancers, but it is especially important for Pediatric and Wildtype GIST.   Adult Wildtype as well as Pediatric GIST patients have not responded well to the currently available tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and the IGF pathway is the most promising new target for these patients. 

At least one pediatric GIST patient has had a remarkable and longlasting response to a similar IGF-1R inhibitor.  The only way to determine how effective this compound is for these children and young adults is to have a clinical trial conducted specifically for these GIST patients.

We, the undersigned, urge you to allow R1507 to be used in the scheduled SARC trial for Wildtype and Pediatric GIST and to continue development of R1507. If this trial is delayed, requiring SARC to seek a different drug, it will greatly deter the great strides that have been made towards the hoped-for cure of wildtype GIST in both children and adults.  We understand that SARC has suggested alternatives to allow this trial to move forward: please pursue these alternatives!

The GIST Community implores you to extend the lives of these young GIST Patients so that they too may have a chance to contribute to a better society and world. 

Mr. Soriot and Mr. Burns, you have the power to make a real difference.

Signed,

Last changed: Dec 08 2009 at 12:31 PM