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can certain diseases/illnesses be cured

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Jdurg:
The drug companies have no control over whether or not they can release a new compound.  The FDA, or whatever regulatory agency exists in the country being discussed, determines if a drug can be released to the public.  Filing an NDA (New Drug Application) is NOT cheap and can not be done the moment a chemical is made in a lab.  The FDA and other regulatory agencies require a TON of research be done before the compound can be released to the market, and even after the compound has been released the regulatory agencies can revoke their ability to distribute it if anything is deemed to be "unsafe".

It could cost BILLIONS of dollars if a drug company releases a compound to market that is subsequently deemed "unsafe".  It will ruin all current sales, lead to lawsuits, and result in loss of "trust" with the public.  Look at Merck.  They got ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- by releasing their compounds to market without full testing.  Also, when an NDA is filed th company gets a limited amount of time for exclusivity.  The exclusivity means that nobody can produce the same compound, no generics can be made, etc.  The company that filed the NDA has exclusive rights to tha drug.  If a safety finding is discovered and the drug is taken off the market, the company doesn't get an extension on their exclusivity.  So in the meantime, other companies can model their research to "correct" any safety issue and take a huge chunk of money from the company that had to withdraw their compound.  (As the other company didn't have to spend nearly as much time or money researching the compound.  They could basically just steal it).

So yes, a pharmaceutical company will withold the release of a compound to the public for purely financial and legal reasons.  If during the Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials they see that the drug is doing miracles, they may file the NDA early and just pray that their are no safety issues.  They'll do this with the hopes that any lawsuits or fines they may have will be overwhelmed by the profits they'll make.  It's just that with the % of compounds that actually make it to market, it is incredibly stupid to release something without A, being sure it works, and B, being sure it's safe.

By the way, you really can't patent a drug.  You can only apply for exclusivity and that runs out after a while.  If you could patent a drug, I'm sure that Pfizer would have patented Viagra and we'd never see Cialis, or any of the other "-enafils" that you see out there.

ark_ader:

--- Quote from: CCM on March 28, 2008, 02:26:58 pm ---
--- Quote from: myntik1 on March 28, 2008, 12:49:51 pm --- So when Q Bert was cutting edge technology people were beating cancer.  How come 25 years later people are still dying from it?


--- End quote ---

You certainly can't lump all forms of cancer together and make a blanket statement like that.   

From wikipedia:
Hodgkin's lymphoma was one of the first cancers to be cured by radiation. Later it was one of the first to be cured by combination chemotherapy. The cure rate is about 93%, making it one of the most curable forms of cancer.


I could almost guarantee that if Paul Allen had pancreatic cancer he would not have survived. 





--- End quote ---

Steve Jobs has it and he is still kicking M$ around.  So there might be some truth in it.

My stepfather died of cancer, he didn't go quietly and fought it until the very end. 

There was no miracle cure.  Except the hospice - they were the miracle workers.

If I had a date with Mr. C I would have a 1st class round the world trip and book a room at the tallest hotel with large open windows, the best view and the best champagne.   ;D 

That would be my cure.    :cheers:

boykster:

--- Quote from: Dartful Dodger on March 28, 2008, 04:59:08 pm ---
--- Quote from: boykster on March 28, 2008, 04:49:28 pm ---Yes, money can offer treatment courses that insurance companies would be unwilling to pay for, but money by itself cannot cure cancer or any other disease.

--- End quote ---

The first part of your statement explains how money can, then the second part says money can't.

I don't think he's talking about liquidating $180,000 and injecting it into the blood stream to cure AIDs.

--- End quote ---

You missed my point;  Money can possibly buy you a chance above and beyond what insurance companies may pay for, but if there isn't a cure, no amount of money will buy you a cure.  There is not a magic pill/treatment/surgery for ever disease out there with "just a matter of money" to make it happen.

Jdurg's portrayal of the drug development process is a bit off, but does illustrate the complexity of the process.  The average cost of bringing a new "drug" to market is 1 billion dollars.  Doesn't matter if it's to cure a type of cancer, or a rare type of defect found in a small population.  The cost from discovery to market is a billion dollars.

Drug companies can and do patent drugs all the time; however patents have a finite lifespan of exclusivity, then other companies have the right to produce generics.  The rub is that typically companies will file for a patent at the time of DISCOVERY and not approval.  If you're upset at the high cost of pharmaceuticals, lobby for longer patent protection for non-generic drugs.  Extend their exclusivity and you reduce the cost of the drug.  How it works now is that companies price drugs high to recoup discovery and development costs before their exclusive patent runs out and generics take over.  Allowing for patent protection to kick in at time of approval would seriously decrease the cost of many pharmaceuticals.

boykster:
Also, it's a catch 22;

people want timely inexpensive drugs to cure what ails them, but they want them to be safe.  To be safe, they need to be extensively tested -> expensive and time consuming.  The FDA has to balance these factors and both protect the public while allowing for drugs that serve the greater good to be available.

Easy? No......

shmokes:

--- Quote from: ark_ader on March 29, 2008, 02:05:14 am ---
If I had a date with Mr. C I would have a 1st class round the world trip and book a room at the tallest hotel with large open windows, the best view and the best champagne.   ;D 


--- End quote ---

LOL

I didn't know you had feelings like that for him.  I'm surprised you don't spend more time in PnR . . .   ;D

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