The Racefor7 is an event that is to take place on 24th February 2019, wherein runners across the U.S. and India will join together to participate, in the event of raising awareness and empowering patients with rare diseases in the quest for effective treatment options. The aim of this collaboration is to form a human chain between U.S. and India, with almost 15,000 people walking 7K at the same time.
The race-organizer ORDI brought together scientists, patients, policymakers, and those in the pharmaceutical industry to connect across borders, with the aim to increase the number of clinical trials for rare diseases worldwide, by adding the population of India to the candidate pool. The organization acts as a catalyst to accelerate clinical research and bring about the required diagnosis and treatment in India.
Although rare diseases strike a very small percentage of the population (1 in 7000), there should be no discouragement in the process of researching and developing a treatment for such conditions. But, with such a small percentage, it is difficult to gather a large group of patients for the clinical trial, and the market is also very small for drug makers to recover the cost of developing the new drugs. With these two factors, the development of such drugs required for treating rare diseases is obstructed.
Uniting U.S. and India with the Racefor7 event, efforts will be put in to find treatments for rare diseases, which will prove advantageous for both the countries. In fact, India has a far larger number of children affected by rare diseases, as compared to any other country, which makes the country more in need for effective treatments. And, with the U.S. and India partnering together, research can be carried out on a larger scale than would be possible using the population in any one country alone. This additional research can lead to much quicker treatments. And, if this happens, children in India who have rare diseases will be diagnosed early on when interventions might make a difference.
However, other than the aim to increase research and bring about better treatments, there must be another goal, which is to conduct clinical trials for such diseases at a fraction of the current cost. The goal should also be to hold remote clinical trials in which patients using available FDA-approved technology will be able to have their health information tracked by doctors performing clinical trials that include patients from all around the world. Thus, with the Racefor7 event, efforts towards avoiding costly clinical trials by making remote collaboration possible are being made. All in all, what a great event, and what a way to bring the rare disease communities of U.S. and India together!
If you understand the need for bringing effective treatments for rare diseases to help your countrymates rise above their ailments to see a better future, you can take up clinical research as your career and lend a helping hand in the process. But for this, you will need to enroll yourself at one of the best clinical research institutes in Bangalore, one like Avigna Clinical Research Institute, where you can learn from experienced medical professionals and earn a legitimate certification that can bring you jobs in top CROs, Bio-tech companies, and pharmaceutical companies.
