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can certain diseases/illnesses be cured

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boykster:
Yep, it's good stuff, and hard work.  I've been in the industry for about 13 years now, working on projects as diverse and genomic sequencing of parasites and bacterium, developing tools to assist in rapid target discovery using DNA microarrays, building data mining tools to do in silico drug candidate discovery/filtering, etc.

I worked at the company that developed TOBI - Tobramycin Inhalation Solution - a front line treatment for patients who have CF.  Our company had sequenced the genome of P. aeruginosa - the primary bacteria that patients with CF suffer infections from - and the department I managed had built the genome annotation tools, done much of the gene discovery and mapping.  It was a huge accomplishment for our company and department, and we had a large circular map of the genome hanging in the hall by our department offices:



Being a research company, we regularly had delivery and service people in the halls, and one day I hear one of them asking someone in the hallway what that circular thing was.  I explained to them it was a circular map of the genome of PAO1, the bacteria that afflicts patients with CF, and that our company had developed the leading treatment for this infection and that we had sequenced the genome with the end goal of discovering new drug targets to develop better treatments, etc.  The usual 30 second spiel about what we do, etc.

Turns out this guy's daughter - 18mos old - was just diagnosed with CF and that their pediatrician had been discussing treatment with them, and was re-assuring him and his wife that with the current treatments their child could lead a very healthy and productive life - much more so than just 15 years ago.  The treatment that the pediatrician was outlining was TOBI.

I can't even begin to tell you how emotional he got when he found out that this goofy circular picture in the hallway of a business he delivered CO2 canisters to was essentially the roadmap to his daughter's near to mid-term quality of life.  He and I have kept in touch over the years (this was about 4 years ago) and his daughter is doing very well, has only suffered from some mild respiratory attacks but overall has been leading a very normal early childhood.

 :cheers:

boykster:
Oh, and is there a cure for CF?  No.

Does TOBI treat CF? No; it treats the secondary infection that leads to discomfort and death in most CF patients though

Was our company treating the disease but not looking for a "cure" for CF? No, much work by the CF Foundation, of which we were a part, is with the idea of understanding the diseas of CF and ultimately finding a cure.  Being a genetic disorder, its much more complicated than say curing the flu however.

Is it true that drug companies purposely treat diseases but don't try to cure them?  Absolutely not.  But understanding root cause of diseases and finding true "cures" or preventative measures is very difficult.  Identifying and developing treatments that improve the quality of life for people suffering from disease is still VERY difficult, but more easily attained.

Jdurg:
Awesome.   :applaud:  The way this industry knows, someday we may end up working for the same CEO.   ;)  If we do, there better damn well be an arcade cabinet in the lounge.   ;D

shmokes:
The conspiracy-theory concept of avoiding cures so you can keep making money off the treatment is crazy.  It makes no sense.  Let's say, for the sake of argument, that boykster's company makes a lot of money on their CF treatment, and they're not very good people, so they don't want CF to be cured cos that would mean no more ongoing revenue stream from the treatment medication.

Okay . . . so far it's a bit diabolical, but there's certainly an intuitive appeal.

But it's totally simple-minded.  In order to come to that conclusion, you have to look at his company as though it exists in a vacuum.  It doesn't.  His company exists in the same world that Jdurg's company exists in.  And Jdurg's company doesn't have the leading treatment for the CF infection business.  boykster's does.  so Jdurg's company would like nothing more than to come up with a cure for CF, cos they'd like to get a piece of the CF pie that boykster's company has been hogging to themselves.

But see, boykster's company knows that Jdurg's company, and a thousand others, are all out there jonesing for some pie.  Boykster's company knows that, even though it will cannibalize their own product-line, if they don't develop the cure for CF, another company will.  It's not a matter of if the treatment drug will become obsolete, but when.  And the only important question for the company is, when it does become obsolete, will they get to keep eating the pie, or will some other company have come along and taken the pie away from them? 

As a pharmaceutical company, you don't have to be altruistic to create cures vs. treatments.  You just have to have taken a basic economic class in college.

myntik1:
I don't subscribe to the theory that pharm companies intentionally keep drugs off the US market.  I do have a renewing subscription to the theory if we can clone sheep why can't we mass produce a economically priced mid-sized vehicle that can get more than 30 mpg.  I'm sure every intelligent person would agree that the oil companies don't want that to happen.

Now back to the topic at hand.  I think we can all agree that some countries are not as strict in their drug guidelines as America.  Often people with wealth travel abroad to seek remedies that are not available in the US. My thought and my intention of this thread was to say that I believe there are a variety and cures for many ailments (I'll use that instead of illness/diseases this time) that are not available to the average joe.  If you have Magic Johnson type money (big $, but not Paul Allen type lot) and not working Joe money (living check to check) it's insane to think you wouldn't have access to better care, better facilities, and cutting edge techniques and drugs. 

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