Cancer cure being ignored by Big Business
So I found this the other day. The report is over 2 years old and as the report states (it shouldnt be a big surprise), no one has followed up on it.
Watch the video from CTV news. Its pretty sad when you think about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ifXxbxhZc
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25 Man Roster (no position), top 20 point getters count at end of month
Keep 20/25 at seasons end, Cut 5 to FA for redrafting
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Stamkos, Tavares, Eichel, Mercer, JRobertson, RThomas, Kucherov, Nugent-Hopkins, Tuch, KConnor, Necas, Point, Konecny, SJarvis, Cozenz, Morrissey, Bouchard, Josi, Novak, Tolvanen, Peterka, Brink
G- Vasilevskiy, Sorokin, Oettinger
"Cleavage is like the sun. You can look, but dont stare.. Unless you're wearing sunglasses."
Doesn't surprise me at all.
I am sure they have done even worse - ie: bought inventions that were cures for mass diseases and killed them to continue profiting from their existing line of drugs that help cope with these diseases and keep the patients coming back for more.
It's sad but it's just the reality of the capitalistic society we live in.
I don't mean to rain on your parade Axeman, but I my opinion the reason the pharmaceutical companies haven't jumped on this is they don't believe it will work. Let's face it, if it was even marginally effective they'd be all over it and leverage it for obscene profits. They want a cure for cancer so they can charge a king's ransom to give you the cure.
Your beer mug isn't half-empty, your just half-way to the next refill.....
You should watch the article before you comment.Originally Posted by NoWayOut
It's an old drug which has no patent protection so they cannot protect profits.
If they felt they could profit from it they would have secured patent protection. We at least agree on one thing, the sole motivator here is money.
Your beer mug isn't half-empty, your just half-way to the next refill.....
You cannot patent something you did not invent...
This is an old, cheap formulation that has been floating out there forever, nobody can claim it. Basically the problem is once one company invests the hundreds of millions to refine and mass produce, then Company XYZ from China can mimick the finished product without having to make that investment.
Sadly, it's true. However, the only glimpse of hope in this is that this drug is not 100% final and needs another component (that can be patented). After which, they will be able to claim the finalized drug as a patent.
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Honestly, my first reaction is that I need a little bit more than big media (Lloyd Robertson - sp?) telling me that big pharma is to blame. I get why a profit-seeking business wouldn't get involved if they can't patent it, but if there is a cure for cancer/strong lead out there I have to believe someone is going to support it (government, charities, philanthropists etc.). I may be wrong but I have to believe there is more to this story.
Keep in mind that the media is cut from the same cloth as other profit driven businesses - if sensationalism helps bring in viewers then they will use it and discard fact/debate.
So the pharmaceuticals don't want to invest in taking it to the next level of testing.....well, I think there are a few billion people who have donated a few billion dollars to fight cancer that might want to alocate their donations to this cause.
If it's a cheap formulation that is basically public domain and it works as advertised some company will take that initial plunge, Chinese ripoffs be damned. A tweak here or there to the formulation that doesn't cripple the drugs effectiveness and a money hungry company will likely take their chances in court and try to patent. The money to be made being the first to hit the market with a cure for cancer beggars belief.
A cancer cure is one of those advancements where the first one in will most likely profit more wildly than those that come after. Cancer has been a scourge throughout human history and naturally people will be stampeding to get the cure once it's available. The price they'll charge will be astronomical and they'll make back their investment many fold before the competition gets in.
They're not dummies, they know the current drugs they're profiting from are being reverse engineered and copied by others around the world and not just China. Like I said before we both agree that altruism isn't involved here no matter which of our arguments you agree with.
Your beer mug isn't half-empty, your just half-way to the next refill.....
Agreed. I just can't believe the world has come to this. Then again.
I am sure there is more to this story as well but the fact remains that there is a story here.
Speaking of big business, have you ever looked to see how much money goes towards Cancer Research each and every year ( I can't give an exact figure but its safe to say the number is in the billions). If there was an actual cure out there, how many people would be looking for a new job if this cure was to come to light.
I am far from a conspiracy theorist, but I am also a believer that where there's smoke, there's usually fire.
10 Team, Points Only, Cash League
25 Man Roster (no position), top 20 point getters count at end of month
Keep 20/25 at seasons end, Cut 5 to FA for redrafting
Goalie points W=2pt L=-1pt SHO=2pt
Stamkos, Tavares, Eichel, Mercer, JRobertson, RThomas, Kucherov, Nugent-Hopkins, Tuch, KConnor, Necas, Point, Konecny, SJarvis, Cozenz, Morrissey, Bouchard, Josi, Novak, Tolvanen, Peterka, Brink
G- Vasilevskiy, Sorokin, Oettinger
"Cleavage is like the sun. You can look, but dont stare.. Unless you're wearing sunglasses."
Pharmaceuticals are all about $$$. It takes $1,000,000,000 to develop a drug through all trials and phases, so only the drugs that are thought to greatly exceed that during the proprietary period of the patent are pursued.
An example of the responsibility pharmaceutical companies feel they have to good health over profits:
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=wg-52...%3Dwg-52mHIjhs
V for Vendetta, anyone?
" You said you don't give a f*ck about hockey. I've never heard anyone say that before."
The use of DCA for cancer treatment has been patented:
http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publi...E&locale=en_EP
Edit: my mistake, originally wrote BCA instead of DCA.
Last edited by Ross The Boss Palmer; November 27, 2012 at 7:02 PM.
" You said you don't give a f*ck about hockey. I've never heard anyone say that before."
I have to agree with others in stating that there's more to this (2 year old) story. Countless times I have seen a story in some format of journalism and when I've dug a little further, it's not quite as presented. Is this a case of that? Maybe.
From a business perspective, as RTBP has pointed out, developing and researching a drug with little to no profit margin would be detrimental. Why take the risk financially damaging a company with little to gain. I realize there may be moral obligations here, but often moral lines do not intersect (whether rightfully or wrongfully) with business priorities.
What is suprising is that this is not being pushed from other areas of the private sector. Here's an article from the CBC which identifies the UofA study as being stalled due to a lack of financial support. Wouldn't other universities/research centers be jumping on board in this research? Trying to be the first show definitive results? Something that keeps popping up in the back of my head is that "unbiased" university researchers have skewed results before, for various reasons. Could this be one? It is possible, no was for us to know at this point in time.
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