Pancreatic Cancer Action Network To Bring No-Cost Enzyme Therapy To Clinical Trial Participants

Supportive Care Method Will Address Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in Patients Enrolled in PanCAN's Precision Promise Adaptive Clinical Trial

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Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Sep 22, 2021, 07:55 ET

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) announced today that it will provide the pancreatic enzyme drug, CREON®, for supportive care use to patients enrolled in PanCAN's Precision Promise^SM adaptive clinical trial who experience pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI).

Due to their illness, many pancreatic cancer patients develop PEI, meaning they do not have enough pancreatic enzymes which are responsible for breaking down and absorbing the food they consume. This malabsorption can often lead to significant weight loss and PEI is associated with poor quality of life and worse outcomes for patients. Pancreatic enzymes like CREON help to break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates from food so a patient's body can use them to help it function more efficiently.

To address PEI for patients enrolled in PanCAN's Precision Promise trial, CREON will be given for use as pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy at no cost to the patient and provided by AbbVie through a research study agreement. This supportive care will be provided to all patients who will benefit from the use of pancreatic enzymes, regardless of whether they have been randomized to the standard of care therapy or an experimental treatment arm being evaluated through Precision Promise.

"Not only is this an added benefit for participants enrolled in Precision Promise, as pancreatic enzymes can often be quite costly in other settings," said Anne-Marie Duliege, MD, PanCAN's Chief Medical Officer, "but from a clinical perspective, we have the opportunity to learn how this type of supportive care can improve quality of life for patients which may ultimately help to dictate treatment guidelines in the future."

CREON (pancrelipase) Delayed-Release Capsules is a prescription medicine used to treat people who cannot digest food normally because their pancreas does not make enough enzymes due to cystic fibrosis, swelling of the pancreas that lasts a long time (chronic pancreatitis), removal of some or all of the pancreas (pancreatectomy), pancreatic cancer, or other conditions.

Pancreatic cancer is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S., with an overall five-year survival rate of just 10 percent. In 2021 more than 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and approximately 48,000 will die from the disease, underscoring the urgent need for new and more effective treatment options.

PanCAN's Precision Promise is currently open and enrolling at 15 Clinical Trial Consortium sites nationwide and the organization expects to add five additional sites in early 2022.

To learn more about Precision Promise and PanCAN's commitment to research, visit pancan.org. Pancreatic cancer patients and caregivers can receive personalized support and resources, and more information about Precision Promise, through PanCAN's Patient Services or by calling 877-2-PANCAN.

For the latest organization updates, follow PanCAN on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive.

Media Contacts:
Jillian Scholten
Senior Public Relations Manager
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Direct: 310-706-3360
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Pancreatic Cancer Action Network