Listening to Patients' Voices

The role of patients in changing the pharmaceutical industry’s research agenda is evolving. Patients are greatly affected by drug R&D, with its potential to provide cures or treatments for a wide range of different medical conditions. But new product development does not always meet all patients’ needs. For example, drugs for Parkinson’s disease most often aim to treat movement disorders, whereas patients are also concerned about pain, sleep problems, lack of bowel and bladder control, and sexual dysfunction (1). Some organizations have always included patient perspectives in their research. For example, the Cochrane collaboration (an international network of academics and clinicians who carry out systematic reviews of evidence about treatments) has always believed in equal partnerships among researchers, providers, practitioners, and patients. And the James Lind Alliance (a nonprofit initiative) was established in the United Kingdom in 2004 to bring together patients, care providers, and clinicians who share an interest in particular health problems. It aims to identify “unanswered questions” about treatment effects and