The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new app that will allow healthcare professionals to share new uses of FDA-approved drugs to treat difficult-to-treat infectious diseases.
FDA is hoping that by allowing members of the clinical community to share their experiences via the CURE ID app, this crowdsourcing platform will help guide new interventions and facilitate development of new drugs for neglected diseases.
The CURE ID app, described by the FDA as an "internet-based repository," is designed to capture clinical outcomes when medications are used for new indications, in new populations, in new doses or in new combinations. Caregivers complete a simple case report form about their experience using an approved product for an unapproved use.
The app also allows healthcare professionals to browse cases that have already been documented, including successful and unsuccessful treatments, and view relevant clinical trials and those open to enrollment at clinicaltrials.gov. Users can also participate in a treatment discussion forum with fellow providers globally.
In a news release, Dr. Amy Abernethy, FDA principal deputy commissioner, said, "Our hope is that this app will serve as a connector among major treatment centers, academics, private practitioners, government facilities and other healthcare professionals from around the world and ultimately get treatments to patients faster.”
CURE ID is a collaboration between the FDA and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
To download and use the CURE ID application, click here or download "CURE ID" from the App or Play Store.