Young cancer sufferers won't have to travel overseas to test cures if a federal government plan to attract more drug trials down under succeeds.
Red tape around age restrictions and recruitment of patients for trials means many young people with cancer face having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to travel overseas for a glimmer of hope.
Health Minister Sussan Ley says Australia has the researchers and ability to conduct clinical trials.
She hopes the government's $7 million plan will demonstrate just that to pharmaceutical companies.
"The more trials can lead to cures, the better off we all are, and that is my aim," she told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.
"Clinical trials are not just something that happens on the edge of your treatment, they are part of it."
CanTeen chief executive Peter Orchard said young cancer sufferers in Australia missed out on cutting-edge research available to their peers overseas unless their parents spent an absolute fortune to send them away.
"These young people have just fallen through the cracks," he said.
The government will work with drug companies, researchers and cancer networks like CanTeen to identify and recruit teenagers and young adults with rare and highly lethal cancers for Australian trials.
It will also remove age restrictions on trials that mean very few 16-24-year-olds take part.
Ms Ley said every year there were about 800 young people who would benefit from access to clinical trials.
