1. Current status, position

Dr Vincent Launay-Vacher is Clinical Pharmacist in the Department of Nephrology at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, France. Since 1999, he is in charge of ICAR, a national medical advisory service on drug management in patients with renal failure (renal tolerance, dosage adjustment, …) dedicated to French physicians.

2. Education

PharmD, School of Pharmacy, Université René Descartes Paris V, Graduated with honors in 2000.

Specialized in biodynamics and biopharmacy (pharmacokinetics)

3. Research area

Dr Launay-Vacher is the author of a number of publications mainly in international journals (> 100), on drug pharmacokinetics and renal effects. His clinical research activities have focused on the study of drugs’ pharmacokinetics and dosage adjutsment in patients with renal insufficiency. He coordinated several National studies, among which the “IRMA” studies (1 and 2) (Renal Insufficiency and Anticancer Medications) on the prevalence of renal insufficiency in French cancer patients, dosage adjustment of anticancer drugs, and impact on survival. These studies included near 5000 patients each and demonstrated the high prevalence of impaired renal function in cancer patients and the consequences on anticancer drugs handling regarding their potential toxicity and their dosages in such patients. The results of “IRMA” have been presented as oral communications at several international conferences in Oncology. Dr Launay-Vacher is member of the French Society of Nephrology, the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP), and is Vice-President of the European Fellowship for Pharmacists (EFP). He is chairing the Education and Training Committee of ESCP and is on the board of the ESCP Special Interest Group on Cancer Care. He also collaborates on the Task Force on Renal Insufficiency and Safety in the Elderly Cancer Patient of the SIOG and on the Task Force in the Elderly of the EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer).