Overview of Phase IV Clinical Trials in Oncology in Brazil
Overview of Phase IV Clinical Trials in Oncology in Brazil
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DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.15931022315128
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Palavras-chave: Estudos de Fase IV, Oncologia, Pesquisadores Brasileiros
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Keywords: Phase IV Trials, Oncology, Brazilian Researchers
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Abstract: Introduction: Phase IV trials are conducted as postmarketing efforts to evaluate a new drug's characteristics further, and they may be essential for understanding a drug's toxicity profile. Objectives: This study aims to analyze phase IV trials concerning oncology in Brazil in the last five years, paralleling a recent Chinese study that examined phase IV clinical trials worldwide and identified areas that require greater attention. Methods: This integrative review was restricted to phase IV clinical trials concerning oncology in Brazil between 2018 and 2023. A data set of 15 studies was found on the website ClinicalTrials.gov on June 30, 2023. We further identified trials whose purposes were ‘Treatment’. Then, studies that included the pediatric population and hematological malignancies were excluded. Finally, six eligible phase IV trials were included in our analysis. Results and Discussion: When comparing the selected trials, they may take years to be finalized, demanding considerable financial resources, and many of them are developed with the sponsorship of pharmaceutical industries, which may lead to bias. None of the studies include only the Brazilian population, which is another biased source. Conclusions: Despite the importance of phase IV trials in evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of drugs, only a few of these trials concerning oncology took place in Brazil in the last five years. In this perspective, we hope that researchers develop more phase IV studies in the following years, adapted to the national population and reality and with the contribution from different sectors of society.
- Marcos Flávio Habib Valério
- Carolina Martins Vieira