DISCUSSION: Traditional clinical trial designs, validation, and evaluation methodologies used for nonorphan drugs often prove unsuitable for orphan drugs, given the small patient populations, sometimes fewer than 1000 cases. There is an increasing need for accessible therapies and both regulators as well as industry are trying to develop affordable and effective drugs to address this need. Despite several steps that have been taken, the timely development of drugs remains a challenge. One of the reasons behind the long development timeline is the recruitment, retention, and conduct of rare disease trials. To optimize the development timelines of orphan drugs in the EU, it is important to ensure that the safety and efficacy of the product is not compromised. Industry and regulatory agencies must implement innovative trial designs, devise flexible policies, and incorporate real-world data for assessing clinical outcomes.
CONCLUSION: Collaboration among academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies (both small and major), patient groups, and health authorities is crucial in overcoming obstacles related to clinical trials and providing assistance and creative ideas. The ultimate objective of granting rare disease patients timely and affordable access to medications with a positive balance between benefits and risks is to be met.
DISCUSSION: The absence of specific regulations, shortage of healthcare resources, budget constraints, competing health priorities, lack of patient data, and insufficient research incentives discourage orphan drug development and global clinical trial inclusion, resulting in treatment inaccessibility and high costs. The Indian Government introduced the National Policy for Treatment of Rare Diseases (NPRD) to address these challenges. Several initiatives have been introduced to attract stakeholders with government-funded research, grants, incentives, and accelerated regulatory approvals of novel therapies that can ensure timely prevention and treatment of rare diseases. The National RD Registry by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) aims to provide prevalence data. Innovative approaches are required to improve rare disease management and promote orphan drug research. This will ensure the accessibility and affordability of life-saving therapeutics for India's rare disease patients.
CONCLUSION: An integrated RD management and orphan drug research framework focusing on robust data management, patient-oriented policies to improve the treatment landscape, flexible regulations, strengthening rare disease registry with clinical and diagnostic data, and a favorable research ecosystem to promote indigenous research catering to the Indian population, will improve the treatment landscape and orphan drug research and development in India. This will ensure timely availability of therapeutics at affordable prices.
METHODS: The review spanned 1997 to 2023, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases like PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant literature. Selection criteria covered English-language journals, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, and professional organizational standards, revealing key aspects of MQSA and breast cancer diagnostics in the USA.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: MQSA's legislative aspects guarantee the effectiveness of regulations for high-quality mammography. It addresses technology, emphasizes inspections, and balances compliance with healthcare burdens. Procedural guidelines prioritize patient outcomes, minimize errors, and address access disparities. Regular updates are crucial to align screening services with technological changes, maintaining safety and accuracy nationwide.
CONCLUSION: The FDA's collaboration with stakeholders, including medical specialists and patient advocacy groups, has contributed to crucial legislative aspects of MQSA. The accuracy of mammography screenings has significantly improved by MQSA's installation of stringent quality and regulatory standards. Compliance with MQSA guidelines led to higher accuracy, safety, and better detection rates. Ongoing efforts must aim to refine guidelines, address emerging challenges, and optimize breast cancer detection.
Methods: A total of 126 patients were randomised into two groups. The patients in Group A underwent mesotherapy (n = 66) and those in Group B underwent surgery (n = 60). The patients in Group A group received six sessions of mesotherapy treatment at 2-week intervals. Both groups were followed up for 12 weeks, during which they were assessed for complications arising from treatment, reduction of the size of the lipoma and cosmetic outcomes.
Results: The overall mean age of the patients was 32.93 (± 10.1) years old and the mean volume of the lipomas was 2.29 (± 3.8) mL. A 55.86% (P = 0.0032) mean reduction in the volume of lipomas was noted in the patients who received mesotherapy, while one patient showed a gain of 16% by volume. The patients in Group A (cosmetic score ≥ 4: 63%) were happier with the treatment than those in Group B (cosmetic score ≥ 4: 21%).
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that mesotherapy modestly reduces the volume of lipomas with very few and minor complications and excellent cosmetic outcomes.