Again from the Guardian is a story about a major drug company blocking access to a medicine that is cheaply and effectively saving thousands of people from going blind because it wants to launch a more expensive product on the market. Greed speaks for itself
Ophthalmologists, on their own initiative, are injecting tiny quantities of a colon cancer drug called Avastin into the eyes of patients with wet macular degeneration, a common condition of older age that can lead to severely impaired eyesight and blindness. They report remarkable success at very low cost because one phial can be split and used for dozens of patients.
Genentech, the company that invented Avastin, does not want it used in this way. Instead it is applying to license a fragment of Avastin, called Lucentis, which is packaged in the tiny quantities suitable for eyes at a higher cost. Speculation in the US suggests it could cost £1,000 per dose instead of less than £10. The company says Lucentis is specifically designed for eyes, with modifications over Avastin, and has been through 10 years of testing to prove it is safe.
Unless Avastin is approved in the UK by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) it will not be universally available within the NHS. But because Genentech declines to apply for a licence for this use of Avastin, Nice cannot consider it. In spite of the growing drugs bill of the NHS, it will appraise, and probably approve, Lucentis next year.
Avastin was first used on human eyes by Philip Rosenfeld, an ophthalmologist in the US, who was aware of animal studies carried out by Genentech that showed potential in eye conditions. This unlicensed use of Avastin has spread across continents entirely by word of mouth from one doctor to another. It has now been injected into 7,000 eyes, with considerable success. Professor Rosenfeld has published his results and a website has been launched in the US to collate the experiences of doctors from around the world. But although the evidence is good, regulators require randomised controlled trials before they grant licences, which generally only the drug companies can afford to carry out.
Prof Rosenfeld said the real issue was drug company profits. "This truly is a wonder drug," he said. "This shows both how good they [the drug companies] are and on the flip side, how greedy they are." He would like to see governments fund clinical trials of drugs such as Avastin in the public interest.
13 comments:
so true i wish drug companys where not as thay where so many herbs are proven thousand years ago to work like miricals but doctors wont use them and drug companys wont put there healing in a pill and if a drug is found to realy help or heal thay want all your blood for it .Bless you and you mega phone. be safe walk in peace allways Sonshine
That is true sonshine, there are many therapeutic plants. Take teh Foxglove (digoxin - for heart problems), Beladonna (atropine) and Yew (Taxol am anti cancer drug) not to mention St John's Wort (Hypericin an anti depressant) and Tea Tree (Tea Tree Oil is an excellent antiseptic).
Sadly drug companies are about the bottom line and not so much about healing. They would rather put another Viagara on the market because they know it would make millions than a cure for something less profiable
It is bizarre that the licensing request has to come from the Drugs Company. Reportedly, that is why the Morning After Pill has only been available over-the-counter relatively recently, because it took a great deal of lobbying to persuade the Pharmaceutical companies to applyfor that licence, even though it was wanted by the NHS and most women
Wow Gert I didn't realise that.
OOOOHHHH Belladonna. My favorite Stevie Nicks CD. Tea Tree Oil has been used to help women with thinning hair too. Much preferable to Rogain. We homebirth and avoid most pharmaceuticals aside from the occasional Tylenol. We came to this philosophy after 3 hospital births rife with unnecessary medical intervention and expense to the detriment of our newborns. Our midwife has also taught a great deal about natural remedies and healings. We use lots of echinacea, I used fennygreek to stimulate a better breast milk supply, and chamomile to treat insect bites. We haven't used an OTC cold treatment since meeting the midwife.
Now, In a tale of reversal, Americans are the ones running for the border. Canada and Mexico, that is, for reduced price pharmaceuticals because even with insurance, the cost it too exorbitant here in the States. Yeah, the FDA makes them jump through hoops to get new products on the market and development costs eat up a lot of money, but I just can't work up too much sympathy for the drug companies. I'm starting to believe that they underhandedly bring real cures for disease to a screeching halt because of the profound profit loss. Maybe I'm a little too conspiracy theory, I don't know. This story seems to back up that niggling fear that a lot of people have.
I didn't realise that about Tea Tree Oil.. If I was vain I'd be slapping it on the pate in the forlorn hope of hair returning!
The jury has come down against a fair few herbal remedies but there are a lot out thee which do help. If Fenugreek, Echinacea and Chamomille do the business then I would rather they are used.. on the other hand I doubt I would use fenugreek outside curries myself! Another spice with excellent properties is Turmeric: so good that a company wanted to trademark it. Luckily that got nipped in the bud!
We are fortunate here to have the NHS (national Health Service) most precriptions are free (to children, low waged, pensioners) For me I pay a flat fee of £6-50 (about $12) for any item the doctor prescribes to me. I have to wear contact lenses for a pretty uncommon eye disorder. Those are free too. The money comes out of taxation but a generally free health service is the one thing that most brits will die in a ditch over.
I promise that the brand of Fenugreek I buy is actually called Fennygreek. Spelling errors make me feel foolish.
My Grandma used the tea tree oil and it did help considerably. Mainly, I think it cuts down on the scalp debris that gets into follicles, and it smells really good. We currently do not have health insurance, which is a very tenuous situation with six rambunctious kids. This is part of the illegal immigration outrage. In Texas, we are seeing our emergency rooms and hospitals go to "drive by" status and closing altogether because of the massive influx of non tax paying illegals seeking treatment. Ordinary, hard working people like me and my husband shoulder the tax burden but get the middle finger if ever we would require assistance. I know leftists think that it's the governmental machine fostering a divide and conquer method among the populace, but its not. Us regular people are sick of paying for services that we as citizens no longer have access to. That would go for the public schools too. Our children are homeschooled as of last year, but we still pay a hefty school tax.
Our neighbors are Kenyan/Pakistani, and they're gracious enough to send over treats for us to sample. Turmeric is the key ingredient in her samosas, and oh, they are soooooo delicious. I wasn't aware of the healing properties though. Interesting. I bought saffron to make an Indian dish and, damn, it cost me a pretty penny. I hope its healthy for as much as they charge.
Turmeric has a lot of possible health benefits: there is evidence that it slows alzheimers protects against heart attacks and fights against infection. Saffron is damned expensive but it may have health properties too.
Living in a nation with a long land barrier with a nation where there is major pressure to emigrate means that illegals will find their way in whatever border controls are put in place.
I can't blame the illegals for seeking something better. Immigration is exactly why I'm here in England myself. On the other hand. I have had direct experience of working in Immigration control (I worked as an Immigration Officer here for several year in the latter 80s) and while my views on the matter are quite liberal, I would not want to have access to healthcare compromised for whatever reason.
I don't blame the illegal immigrants either. I do blame a country that blindly hands out gold plated status to those who circumvent our laws, while ignoring hard working citizens who occasionally want to utilize the services for which they are paying a handsome price. Illegals marching in the street for their "rights", while waving the flag of their homeland, really pissed off most Americans. Currently, 76% want the borders closed, and all welfare services, medical, and education to illegals stopped. That crosses socio-economic boundary lines and partisan lines. Liberals as well as conservatives.
Immigration is historically a good thing. I owe that to meeting my husband, but, ILLEGAL immigration is a detriment to all. When you invite someone to your home, don't you want to make sure that they're not a criminal, or infected with a communicable disease (USA is experiencing spiked numbers of tuberculosis, polio, and leprosy among heavily imigrant populated communities)? I sure do, and that's why the debate rages on.
Oh, and I almost forgot about bee propolis. We even use toothpaste with bee propolis added to it. If you look online there's a really neat company out of North Carolina, I think, that makes all of their cosmetics and creams with bee wax. They feature lip balms, soaps, moisturizer, etc. I love their products and the smell is heavenly. Burt's Bees is thy name. Good stuff.
I just wanted to add another quick point about the human exploitation aspect that illegal immigration brings lest you think I'm only concerned about American citizens.
Smugglers have become more wily in their tactics and families are separated and many individuals are dying. The "coyotes" treat their human cargo like animals, there is no sanctity of life. They leave them sweltering and dying in the desert, and 18 wheelers.
Supposedly us Americans want cheap things and illegals provide low waged labor. Well then what happens when you give them amnesty? They become citizens who will no longer tolerate working for nothing thus driving up cost. They also can start daisy chaining all of their many relatives in which will completely drain our welfare, school, prison, medical systems. Countries are not equipped to handle such an influx and we will quickly become the impoverished hellhole that they're escaping.
Many cases documented of illegals being taken complete advantage of. Locked into homes and forced to work as nannies, housekeepers, etc. at miniscule wages. Illegals come here and live 20 to a house sometimes. They're easily cheated out of hard earned money because where are they going to complain? Last time I looked working for nothing was called slavery and I don't endorse slavery.
Houston is contending with rampant gang violence from the MS13's. A group of illegal Central Americans who continued their gang upon arrival in the States. These ruthless killers are responsible or tied to nearly 20 deaths so far this year, just in Houston.
I smile at leftists wanting to embrace the ideas of "open borders". Suicidal tendencies. I also laughed out loud at one particular Further Left Forum member who's waiting "not so patiently" at the Mexico border for the US to die. Who does she think is supporting Mexico? US dollars is the number two import of Mexico. We are keeping them alive, and how ignorant to not realize that our death brings the death of Mexico too. Talk about bad neighbours.
Sorry to hijack like this. I guess we all have our pet peeves, and this one is mine. Do you suffer from the macular degeneration discussed in the article?
Burt's Bees the not-wife has some of their products. Very nice indeed!
Luckily for me I have Keratoconus rather than Macular degeneration.. my corneas are deformed which means contact lenses or corneal grafts if it get worse.. Without my lenses I have multiple vision - on the upside firework displayes and chrsitmas lights look so much better to me!
With regard to smugglers we have seen some of the worst they can offer here. A few years ago there was a case where over 50 chinese illegals suffocated inside a lorry. Two years ago over 20 chinese drowned i the North while picking cockles on a very treacherous strand. A lot of women are trafficked from Thailand and Eastern Europe., tricked into thinking they are coming for a good job then being forced into prostitution. The Human traffickers are jackals.
Where do we fit into this? we want cheap goods, we won't do the the jobs the illegals do (a couple of weeks ago a number of illegals were caught cleaning at a major immigration office in London!). The main issu is whil there is the push-pull factor in place (the push of poverty and the pull of work and the chance of a better life) then the pressure to migrate will not end.
One good way to stop the push factor is to improve prospects in the emigrant nations. I know that sounds simplistic but it does help. If people have access to a good eduction and have reasonable prospects then why leave? Ireland is a case in point although it started from a much higher base than most emigrant nations. 20 years ago Ireland was a net emigrant nation. Now it is one of the wealthiest nations in Europe (on a per capita basis).
Are you the secret inspiration behind Foreigner's classic hit, "Double Vision"?
I just had swellings of platonic love at your statement jams! Yes, you're exactly right about improving conditions where one lives. Our Church sponsors a program called, "The Perpetual Education Fund". I'd link it, but you've seen my pitiable linking skills. It's a World wide project that filters money to people in destitute areas allowing them to finance school, build farms, start businesses, acquire livestock. The main push though is for advanced education. My husband served a two year mission in Veracruz, Mexico and saw a lot of poverty and need. Needless to say, he's a big proponent of this program. The solution isn't to mass migrate to destination uncertain but to change lives for the better in their home communities. One success trickles down, branches out, and can help an entire neighborhood.
I nearly forgot about the prostitution side of smuggling. We see a lot of minors forced into that lifestyle here by smugglers to pay off smuggling debt. Sometimes, family members are held for ransom. Multi-pronged problem, for sure.
Foreigner? Ha!
It will need a huge effort to make a real difference in the Third World but it is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness. Good quality developmental aid can make the world of difference to communities.
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