Acobiom’s Gemcitest receives a European financial support
Pancreatic cancer: a growing disease
According to IARC (globocan), pancreatic cancer affected 495,000 people in 2020 worldwide, including 202,000 new cases in 2020 in Europe & North America and 15,000 new cases in France. It is one of the few cancers that is constantly increasing (about 2.5% per year) and is expected to affect 564,000 people worldwide in 2025. Pancreatic cancer is expected to overtake breast cancer as the 3rd leading cause of cancer mortality in the European Union.
To treat pancreatic cancer, several therapies are available. They were listed in an American study published in April 2016: “Cost description of chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of metastatic pancreas cancer” (Goldstein DA et al, Medical Oncology).
Taking into account a median and equal “progression-free survival” for all treatment options, the overall costs (drugs and care) for treatments used in metastatic pancreatic cancer in 2016 were, respectively:
- Gemcitabine alone: $5,043
- Folfirinox: $46,298
- Gemcitabine and Erlotinib: $51,004
- Gemcitabine and Nab-paclitaxel: $67,216
Therefore, being able to identify the patients most likely to respond to each of these therapies would result in longer the survival duration for patients, improved quality of life during treatment, and cost savings for funding agencies.
Europe supported Acobiom to conduct a medico-economic study on pancreatic cancer
Thus, within the framework of the SME Instrument-Phase 1 call for projects, Europe provided a financial support to ACOBIOM to evaluate the costs of the current management of pancreatic cancer in France. This study, conducted in partnership with Dr. Christel Castelli (Université Montpellier, Languedoc Mutualité Nouvelles Technologies), will be used to evaluate the commercial potential of the GemciTest in France and in Europe.
Thus, within the framework of the SME Instrument-Phase 1 call for projects, Europe has provided financial support to ACOBIOM to evaluate the costs of the current management of pancreatic cancer in France. This study, conducted in partnership with Dr. Christel Castelli (University of Montpellier, Languedoc Mutualité Nouvelles Technologies), will be used to evaluate the commercial potential of the GemciTest in France and in Europe.
The results of this study will allow us to identify the subpopulation of patients most likely to benefit from gemcitabine prior to treatment and to avoid the administration of ineffective treatments. They will also be an essential support to facilitate the adoption of GemciTest® by clinical teams in the management of patients with pancreatic cancer.
Indeed, clinical decision-making is a complex process that places the patient in a central position and involves an interplay between the application of clinical and biomedical knowledge, problem solving, evaluation of probabilities and outcomes, and balancing benefits, risks, and associated costs. This protocol based on real and comprehensive data (source: CNAM) provides critical and relevant information for physicians to adapt the best therapeutic decisions with confidence rather than relying solely on their own experiences.
The results of this study will soon be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. They will also be an important component of the future application for reimbursement of GemciTest® by the Haute Autorité de Santé and the CNAM.
About the European funded medico-economic study
This study has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 887598. This communication reflects only Acobiom’s view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
About ACOBIOM
ACOBIOM is a biotechnology company specialized in the discovery of new biological markers and the development of innovative diagnostics for applications in Precision Medicine or Personalized Medicine. The biological markers identified by the company are derived from its technological platform, which combines genomics, transcriptomics, bioinformatics and biostatistics. Thanks to its unique scientific expertise in the analysis of gene expression in blood and whole blood cells, ACOBIOM has positioned itself in the field of Precision Medicine and the development of diagnostics to assist in the choice of the most effective treatment or the one most adapted to the biological (phenotypic) profile of patients. Founded in 1999, ACOBIOM is located in the Euromedicine Biopole in Montpellier and is a member of the health clusters in the region.
About Dr Christel Castelli
Christel Castelli, a doctor in biostatistics specializing in health economics, is a researcher at the University of Montpellier in the Law and Health Economics laboratory within the Faculty of Pharmacy, directed by Professor Cécile Le Gal Fontes. She is also the health economics referent of the Languedoc Mutualité Nouvelles Technologies structure, after having been in charge of the medico-economics team of the Nimes University Hospital for nearly 11 years.
About Languedoc-Mutualité Nouvelles Technologies
Languedoc-Mutualité is a care network grouping together clinics, medical and dental centers, EHPAD, Home Nursing Services, a pharmacy, optical centers, and a research and clinical research structure: Languedoc-Mutualité Nouvelles Technologies. This structure is divided into 3 sectors: promotion/investigation, methodology-biostatistics-health economics and academic research. Languedoc-Mutualité Nouvelles Technologies has a complete and recognized team in clinical research. Its dynamic and high quality activity has allowed the Beau Soleil clinic of the Languedoc-Mutualité group to be recognized as a research structure and thus to access to MERRI and SIGAPS funding since 2016.
