Washington State Senator healthy again after pill eliminates his lung cancer

[n2doc]

By BILL CHRISTIANSON
REDMOND REPORTER

Diagnosed with lung cancer in March of 2009, first-year Sen. Andy Hill faced a grim future — and with each stage of treatment, the prognosis only got worse.

The cancer started in his left lung, but spread to the right one. Surgery would do no good because the cancer had already spread to the lymph nodes. Doctors could only tell Hill to wait and see if the chemotherapy and radiation would improve his condition.

Staring at the possibility of death, the 47-year-old Redmond resident never wavered. Instead, he only worked harder to find a solution.

In October of 2009, he was approved by a clinical trial in Denver to use a drug called crizotinib, a white pill which is part of a new arsenal of “targeted” cancer therapies. Hill and his wife, Molly, call the pill “a miracle.”
more
http://www.seattlepi.com/sound/433558_sound113505634.html

[still_one]

1. I have no doubt the senator is happy with big pharma for developing this drug. Why these companies

are so important is because they have the resources to develop such advances. It is not an inexpensive process

[bread_and_roses]

3. "These companies" often get subsidies from the Fed Govt - and reap the profits

So it's expensive? It's also too important to leave in the hands of profiteering Pharma Vampires - who have a pretty abysmal record when it comes to scientific trials, to ethical studies, to price-gouging, etc.

So no, no reason to be "grateful" to big Pharma or to consider them "essential" - that's their line. They know they have a sweet deal going here in US, due to our wholly-owned Electeds who's hands are in their pockets.

[still_one]

4. What subsidies are you referring to? /nt

[bread_and_roses]

5. Just one example

http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/econ/nadedola06222001.html

... As is well known in your industry, BMS benefits richly from a plethora of US programs, including for example the US tax credits for R&D, the orphan drug tax credit, the US tax credit for manufacturing products in Puerto Rico, subsidized loans from the US Import-Export bank, the pediatric R&D patent extension, and a variety of R&D non-patent regular exclusivity provisions.

BMS has also benefited more than most from the massive R&D support funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies. BMS products in the cancer and HIV area have benefited enormously from federally funding of R&D, including such products as Hydroxyurea, Bleomycin, Lomustine, Carmustine, Cisplatin, Cisplatin VP-16, Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, VM-26, Taxol, DDI and D4T. As you know, the US government generally is not compensated for subsidizing the costs of clinical trials on these drugs, and does not seek high royalties for licenses of government owned patents. For example, the National Cancer Institute received no royalties from its 1990 CRADA for the commercialization of Taxol, a drug that has generated billions in dollars in revenues for BMS.

Just like all the other "Free" Marketeers - all "free market" means to them is the freedom to gouge people - they are more than happy to take the handouts the government gives them to subsidize their profits.

[still_one]

8. Thanks for the information /nt

[Deep13]

2. I hope this is true, though I'm a bit skeptical...

that taking a handful of non-toxic pills can all but cure lung cancer.

[trotsky]

6. In reading the article, it appears to be a highly specific lung cancer...

one caused by a specific mutation in a non-smoker. In that case I can understand being able to target it pretty well.

[Festivito]

7. DU Link: Cuba registers "world's first lung cancer vaccine" in Peru

These stories may, may, have nothing to do with each other.

Somehow on DU the story of this vaccine ends up with only 4 recs and does not get seen.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=405&topic_id=47083&mesg_id=47083