New immunotherapies have had great successes, but also incredibly debilitating side effects for patients. This discrepancy needs to be a focus of pharmaceutical companies because it will affect the way Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies review drugs. Two or three case studies of patient and caregiver experiences surrounding immuno-oncology clinical trials, both past and ongoing, will be used in order to gain a better understanding of how these trials have impacted individuals.

Conduct in-person or telephone interviews with patients and their caregivers to find out more about patient experiences and see how key takeaways can help pharmaceutical companies better prepare submissions for HTA agencies as they launch future immuno-oncology drugs.

Preliminary results indicated that a patient completed a course of treatment and is very happy with the results. She had metastatic melanoma on her scalp. When she was being prepared for surgery, two new tumors on her scalp were discovered. As a result, she was included in a melanoma clinical trial.

Another patient is still undergoing treatment and is responding, but is experiencing severe side effects that are impacting his life and that of his primary caregiver. He was hospitalized once for sepsis.

Patient experiences can wildly vary. It is an area that needs more careful study, using both formal metrics and individual stories. Giving more attention to quality of life creates an opportunity for stronger submissions to HTA agencies and better assessments by those agencies.