Clinical Leader: interview with PAN advocate Bill Allen on his clinical trial journey

In their series on underserved patient enrollment in clinical trials, Clinical Leader interviewed Bill Allen, a member of the PAN Foundation Patient and Family Advisory Council, about his experience participating in a clinical trial for prostate cancer.

In 2008, Allen had the opportunity to sign up for a clinical trial for a medication that would lessen the impact of dozens of rounds of radiation treatment.

“I was looking forward to it,” he recalls in the Clinical Leader interview. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been in a trial. During that process, I learned that this particular disease affects a lot of Black men.”

In addition to his patient advocacy work on the advisory council and at PAN’s Advocacy Action Summit, Allen is a PAN grant recipient.

“I’m currently on a drug that costs about $15,000 a month. Last year, with the help of my urologist, I applied for a PAN grant to cover the cost not covered by Medicare. You don’t plan for this kind of cost in your retirement; you only have so many dollars that are available,” Allen recalls in the interview. “Getting a grant from the PAN Foundation covered the balance of my medical costs, and I was thankful for that.”

Learn more about Bill Allen’s journey advocating for his health in our patient stories.