Interpretation of surrogate endpoints in the era of the 21st Century Cures Act

Surrogate endpoints are commonly used in clinical trials to get quicker results, but Kevin Knopf and colleagues show how they can lead to both medical and financial harm The rationale behind medical practice distils to three principles: maintaining health (wellbeing), improving quality of life, and extending length of life. For patients with incurable cancer, quality and length of life are of prime importance and should therefore be the...