Clinical trials are used to test new drugs, often before they are officially approved, by closely monitoring their effects and side effects with the approval of an expert committee. This allows for the comparison of their benefits to those of already established medications. These studies are a crucial step in developing new, more effective drugs.

Innovative therapies may be effective if traditional, guideline-based treatments have failed or are no longer effective. They may also provide additional benefits when used in conjunction with established treatments, such as an increased likelihood of tumor regression (remission). However, these new treatments also have unknown risks, as they are less tested and may have lower effectiveness or unexpected side effects.

We search through thousands of studies in cancer medicine, using formal criteria such as your specific disease stage, tumor form, and receptor status to find those you may be eligible for. Our selection does not make any judgments about a particular study’s medical viability or effectiveness. This decision can only be made in a discussion between you and your treating physician. Protecting the doctor-patient relationship is of utmost importance to us.

At iuvando, we understand the importance of providing personalized support for patients and doctors. That’s why we keep a comprehensive database of innovative therapies currently being offered in Germany as part of clinical trials for cancer patients. Using this database, we can help identify studies tailored to your specific illness and share the results with you and your treating physician. If your doctor feels that participating in a study is the best course of action for you, we’ll help schedule an appointment at the nearest study center, whether it’s a specialized practice or a university hospital.

While iuvando was founded by physicians, we cannot give you any information about your illness, treatment options, or prognosis. That is solely the responsibility of your treating physician.

We generally cannot provide information on the chances of success for a therapy being studied in a clinical trial. However, we can provide any available study results to your treating physician. Ultimately, they are the only ones who can provide information and guidance on the treatment of your cancer.

If you and your treating physician decide to participate in a clinical trial, the physician at the study center (such as a university hospital) will thoroughly explain any potential risks associated with the trial therapy. You will have the opportunity to ask detailed questions as the physician conducting the study center has the most knowledge about the trial. Your inclusion in the trial will only occur after being informed and providing written consent, which you can withdraw at any time (even after starting the trial therapy) without explanation.

Clinical trials are financed by sponsors, which can include research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, or public institutions/universities. Unlike standard treatment methods, clinical trials are not covered by health insurance. In the field of oncology, the cost of researching and developing a new drug can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. iuvando works with these sponsors and funds itself using budgets allocated for research and development.

The search for therapy studies, to which you may be admitted based on your illness, is at no cost to you as the patient or your treating physician. iuvando is financed through partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers.

iuvando is independent and always considers all currently offered therapy studies. We collaborate with pharmaceutical companies conducting research and centers where patients are treated in studies. This serves the complete collection of current studies, as publicly available information is insufficient to perform personalized study research. We integrate and continually update the information on clinical studies provided by pharmaceutical companies in our study database. For this, we charge a fee and can thus ensure no patient costs. Our professional research process and the search report are independent of pharmaceutical companies. We are neutral and do not influence the evaluation of the study search or therapy decision.

iuvando conducts personalized clinical trial research based on the medical information provided by patients, always with the greatest care and exclusively based on transparent, formal (inclusion and exclusion) criteria that apply to clinical studies. This means – independent of sponsors or pharmaceutical companies.

Naturally, your treating physician can introduce you to a study center (such as a university clinic) at any time. However, every study centers offer a variety of different studies. Our service is to select the studies that are most suitable for you based on your specific illness, so your physician can have an overview and discuss with you what’s medically appropriate without having to spend a lot of time searching for the right studies.

iuvando plans on helping all cancer patients in their search of an appropriate study in the future. 

Patients in a clinical trial should ideally represent the intended target population for a given drug or treatment. The patients participating in a clinical trial cannot have severe cancer prognoses, as this would hinder the comparison of their clinical trial results to other cancer patients. If a patient’s diagnoses indicate a low life expectancy, their statistics could bias the clinical trial results. This may include patients that have a secondary tumor, are on dialysis or suffer from a chronic infection such as hepatitis or AIDS. Similarly, pregnant patients may not participate in clinical trials as the risk to the unborn child cannot be determined. Furthermore, they may not have a comparable progression compared to other study participants. 

If the new drug in the study shows treatment success and is to be approved as a medication, patients can continue to receive this drug even after the study is completed. This approach is called ‘expanded access’ and can be extended, for example, in a subsequent Phase 4 study. In Phase 4 studies, already approved drugs are further investigated. A similar principle is called ‘compassionate use’ in which patients who do not participate in a study can still receive the drug because their condition cannot be adequately controlled with approved medications.