Comments on: Expanding the bandwidth of life science investments: Increasing investment viability http://www.biotechblog.com/2007/07/26/expanding-the-bandwidth-of-life-science-investments-increasing-investment-viability/ Commercial, legal, political, and scientific trends in biotechnology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:32:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Jayme Norrie http://www.biotechblog.com/2007/07/26/expanding-the-bandwidth-of-life-science-investments-increasing-investment-viability/comment-page-1/#comment-4843 Jayme Norrie Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:16:03 +0000 http://www.biotechblog.com/2007/07/26/expanding-the-bandwidth-of-life-science-investments-increasing-investment-viability/#comment-4843 Okay, so let's think about this for a moment. Your right that the FDA cannot provide an exacting answer to the long term safety of every product, and I think this will change. However, it isn't because the FDA isn't doing their job, its because we are all made genetically different. I think what will emerge is a personalized medicine approach, which provides the answers physicians and drug makers need to move away from a "one size fits all" approach. In terms of the "bad guy" rap the industry recieves due to the extremely low percentage of product failures (pick up a Merck Manual and look at how many products are available versus how many have "gone ary"), its true that there is a great deal spent on marketing. As well, there is an extremely high failure rate in the lab; so the risk warrents some of the reward. But, the marketing is to keep patients on products as much as it is to get them to try them. Compliance rates are dismal - especially with chronic disewases such as diabetes. Its amazing how many patients are willing to lose their sight or feet. And there are Government programs as well as patient assitance programs to help with payment. That said, I suppose we could let go of antibiotics, products that put us to sleep during surgery versus biting a bullet, or die of heart attack and stroke in our 30's as our forefathers did. Clearly, it would lessen the economic burdens of population growth and life science company profits. Or, we can go to a nutraeutical model of vitamins and herbs, which have some powerful advantages and cost when you look at what they cost to fill up with everything possible on a monthly basis. The problem is, we don't have any scientific verification on a lot of them. We know that they can work - but who is manufacturing them? How are we testing for quality and purity? And some, when taken in combinatin with prescriptions can cause harm - such as St. Johns Wart with an SSRI. I agree that there are no perfect solutions to making sure every global citizen is safe 24/7. And we, as citizens, need to be more vigilant about our health care choices. At the end of the day, though, when I need surgery, or have a bad infection, I probably won't be eating grass from the yard clippings. And my spirit will be just fine with that. Okay, so let’s think about this for a moment. Your right that the FDA cannot provide an exacting answer to the long term safety of every product, and I think this will change. However, it isn’t because the FDA isn’t doing their job, its because we are all made genetically different. I think what will emerge is a personalized medicine approach, which provides the answers physicians and drug makers need to move away from a “one size fits all” approach.

In terms of the “bad guy” rap the industry recieves due to the extremely low percentage of product failures (pick up a Merck Manual and look at how many products are available versus how many have “gone ary”), its true that there is a great deal spent on marketing. As well, there is an extremely high failure rate in the lab; so the risk warrents some of the reward. But, the marketing is to keep patients on products as much as it is to get them to try them. Compliance rates are dismal – especially with chronic disewases such as diabetes. Its amazing how many patients are willing to lose their sight or feet. And there are Government programs as well as patient assitance programs to help with payment.

That said, I suppose we could let go of antibiotics, products that put us to sleep during surgery versus biting a bullet, or die of heart attack and stroke in our 30′s as our forefathers did. Clearly, it would lessen the economic burdens of population growth and life science company profits. Or, we can go to a nutraeutical model of vitamins and herbs, which have some powerful advantages and cost when you look at what they cost to fill up with everything possible on a monthly basis. The problem is, we don’t have any scientific verification on a lot of them. We know that they can work – but who is manufacturing them? How are we testing for quality and purity? And some, when taken in combinatin with prescriptions can cause harm – such as St. Johns Wart with an SSRI.

I agree that there are no perfect solutions to making sure every global citizen is safe 24/7. And we, as citizens, need to be more vigilant about our health care choices. At the end of the day, though, when I need surgery, or have a bad infection, I probably won’t be eating grass from the yard clippings. And my spirit will be just fine with that.

]]> By: michael hammond http://www.biotechblog.com/2007/07/26/expanding-the-bandwidth-of-life-science-investments-increasing-investment-viability/comment-page-1/#comment-4811 michael hammond Sat, 11 Aug 2007 19:45:08 +0000 http://www.biotechblog.com/2007/07/26/expanding-the-bandwidth-of-life-science-investments-increasing-investment-viability/#comment-4811 So called extensive "studies" are done on all drugs produced by the pharmaceutical industry yet not a day goes by that we don’t read about a drug that was vetted and studied and approved by the FDA and sold to millions of people for years that has to be pulled from the market because it was found to be more deleterious than efficacious. This is the drug cycle and the pharmaceutical guys know it and they will make money with it and be ready with the next "wonder drug" when the current one runs its cycle. How can this be? Pharmaceuticals are a trillions a year business. The economy of the US depends on their production as well as the investment portfolios of many politicians. But this will not last ; there are signs that “the pigeons are coming home to roost” and you don’t want to be in these stocks for spiritual and financial reasons. So called extensive “studies” are done on all drugs produced by the pharmaceutical industry yet not a day goes by that we don’t read about a drug that was vetted and studied and approved by the FDA and sold to millions of people for years that has to be pulled from the market because it was found to be more deleterious than efficacious. This is the drug cycle and the pharmaceutical guys know it and they will make money with it and be ready with the next “wonder drug” when the current one runs its cycle.
How can this be? Pharmaceuticals are a trillions a year business. The economy of the US depends on their production as well as the investment portfolios of many politicians.
But this will not last ; there are signs that “the pigeons are coming home to roost” and you don’t want to be in these stocks for spiritual and financial reasons.

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