Evidence for ethnic differences in cancer drug metabolism and deposition: potential relevance for clinical trials and practice.

摘要

For several reasons, there has been increasing interest by the pharmaceutical industry in the conduct of cancer trials across international borders and in multiple countries. First, the rapidly growing global economy has resulted in an ever-expanding market for anti-neoplastic agents. Second, the increase in the number of products requiring evaluation, including phase 3 randomized trials, necessitates larger patient populations willing to participate in such studies. And third, it is recognized that the costs of conducting clinical trials in developing countries may be substantially less than that associated with trials run exclusively in North America and Western Europe.