EORTC New Drug Advisory Committee (NDAC)

The aim of the New Drug Advisory Committee (NDAC) is to expedite the introduction of new drugs into clinical trials within the EORTC. It works closely with EPOD (the Early Project Optimization Department) within EORTC Headquarters, and to a lesser extent with the Translational Research Advisory Committee (TRAC). In order to ensure a consistent approach towards the pharmaceutical industry, the NDAC acts as a reference body for all EORTC Groups and makes recommendations to them in all aspects of drug development. This includes the strategic approach and setting priorities regarding drug development within the entire EORTC Network as well as being a recipient of information from disease groups at the earliest stages of their discussions about trials involving new agents. It encourages early contact with investigators and disease groups.

The remit of the NDAC are those agents that have not been registered and/or not yet with a role in oncology or possibly agents which come to the EORTC for the first time in a specific setting. Working very closely with EPOD, NDAC’s continued mission is to stimulate, organise and prioritise access to new drugs. It has responsibility for benchmarking the choice of target/ agent and/or company, taking advice from both the disease specific groups and EPOD. The expectation is that the earlier the involvement of NDAC (and of course EPOD) in the development of a project, the higher the chance of such projects being approved by the Executive Committee as they will already be aligned with EORTC priorities.

The NDAC coordinates Advisory Boards performed with the pharmaceutical industry, and in 2009 oversaw, along with EPOD, a very successful interaction with a large pharmaceutical company which has led to a number of new projects being actively discussed between the EORTC and the company.
The NDAC also supports EPOD regarding methodological issues inherent to innovative agents with new mechanisms of action in the approach of early studies design.

Along with TRAC, NDAC continues to comment on projects being reviewed by the Protocol Review Committee, and this past year there were 35 such projects, indicating a healthy activity in the generation of new projects within the EORTC.


Members

Chairman J.-C. Soria, Villejuif (FR)

Members
A. Awada, Brussels (BE)
U. Banerji, Sutton (UK)
A. Burger, Baltimore (US)
J. Dancey, Kingston (CA)
K. Dhingra, Sparta (US)
M. de Jonge, Rotterdam (NL)
M. Scurr, London (UK)
J. Tabernero, Barcelona (ES)
M. van den Bent, Rotterdam (NL)

Ex-Officio members
N. Harbeck, Köln (DE)
D. Lacombe, Brussels (BE)
S. Sleijfer, Rotterdam (NL)


Last updated 27-08-2009