Opinion: The National Cancer Institute’s Investigational New Drug program is imperative for public good
The National Cancer Institute’s Investigational New Drug program facilitates collaboration, not collusion, with industry for the public good
Mark Ratain’s First Opinion piece of Feb. 4, 2025, implies that the oncologists in NCI’s Investigational Drug Branch (IDB) colluded with the drug company Exilixis to sponsor two Phase 3 studies of its drug cabozantanib. He claims these studies showed minimal benefit, yet the results were used to inflate the value of Exilixis stock. Ratain concludes by recommending that IDB be abolished.
The claims about the studies’ impact are incorrect, and the suggestion that Exilixis and NCI colluded to manipulated Exilixis stock price is patently false. Ratain misrepresented how these studies originated, argued for his retrospective judgment over the contemporaneous judgment of expert oncologists, misstated the results of both trials, and made a recommendation that ignores the history and value of the programs that IDB supports.
