New Cancer Therapy Funding

Press Release
New Cancer Therapy Funding
September 11, 2002

Minister Micheál Martin today announced substantial funding for cancer therapy research on behalf of the All Ireland Cancer Consortium. Awards were made by the Health Research Board following competition and international review to St James's Hospital, Dublin, the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin, the Adelaide & Meath incorporating the National Children's Hospital (AMNCH) Tallaght and Waterford Regional Hospital to build cancer clinical trials capacity.

Under this scheme, awards to the value of €1.6 million are being made available this year to allow these hospitals to recruit and train staff, improve facilities and take part in world class clinical trials. Last November, under the first phase of this scheme, awards to the value of €1.9 million were made to 6 hospitals. This was the first time that public finding had been made available for clinical trials in Irish hospitals.

A call for applications from hospitals was issued last February and these were reviewed by an international panel of cancer clinical trials experts in June. Speaking at the announcement of the awards Dr. Ruth Barrington, Chief Executive of the Health Research Board congratulated the successful hospitals and said that the awards demonstrated the commitment of Minister Micheál Martin and the Department of Health and Children to developing the highest standards of care for cancer patients across the country.

Clinical trials are an essential part of developing better cancer prevention and therapeutic strategies and are acknowledged worldwide as the best way to advance patient care at the bedside. Irish hospitals will be able to participate in world-class clinical trials involving the latest advances in cancer chemotherapy, radiotherapy, vaccine therapy and surgery, helping to ensure that these new and effective treatments are available more readily to patients across the island as a result of this funding.

The funding has been made available through the Ireland/Northern Ireland/U.S. National Cancer Institute Cancer Consortium established following the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1999. The goal of this Consortium is to foster better prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer for all people on the island of Ireland.

Minister Martin paid tribute to the work of the Cancer Consortium. 'This unique Consortium is enabling cancer patients in both parts of Ireland to benefit from the expertise of the world's leading cancer research centre, the U.S. National Cancer Institute,' the Minister said. Minister Martin thanked the international cancer experts who had assisted with reviewing the proposals from the hospitals under this consortium initiative.

Dr. Barrington thanked the Board of the Cancer Consortium for its support, all those involved at the National Cancer Institute and the international panel that reviewed the proposals and the Department of Health & Children for making the funding for the initiative available.

For further information contact:

Dr. Ruth Barrington Chief Executive Officer Health Research Board 73 Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 t: 01 6761176 ext 132

Ms. Tracey Conroy Acute Hospitals Division Department of Health & Children Hawkins House Dublin 2 t: 01 6354731