Please enter your access code:

Treatments for illnesses such as cancer or depression are often required to go through a lengthy process before they’re approved for use in hospitals, even if they could potentially benefit patients right now. While in the past Cinderella Therapeutics has aimed to revive promising medicines that failed to make a profit, a new service from the Netherlands called myTomorrows is now enabling patients to fast track the use of drugs that haven’t yet been fully approved.

The service is a platform for patients to connect with doctors and drug companies who have performed positive trials of new treatments. Those with illnesses register to be updated when treatments matching their disease or condition are made available through myTomorrows. When this happens, patients can get their doctor to work with the company to determine if the treatment is right for them. If successful, patients can either join a clinical trial or be prescribed the drug through a compassionate use or expanded access program. myTomorrows currently takes a transaction fee for successfully matched patients.

The service so far offers access to drugs for various cancers as well as depressive disorders. There is of course a risk involved with unapproved and unregulated drugs, but for those with time-sensitive diseases such as cancer, it could mean they can receive the benefits of treatments 3-8 years before they’re officially available. Are there other ways to more efficiently get new and innovative cures to those that need them?