Written by Alex on February 23, 2010 – 11:55 am
The article will probably have hundreds if not thousands of cancer patients running to their computers and phones to try and get into a trial – any trial – because this article has led them to believe trials can provide a cure. Promoting that kind of false hope is not only bad journalism, it’s just plain mean to patients seeking a cure for cancer.
Written by Alex on January 20, 2010 – 10:05 am
The Clinical Journal of Oncology says in a new study that researchers with the greatest influence over cancer clinical trials also have the closest financial ties to the pharmaceutical and other industries that benefit from positive clinical trials’ results. This is a disturbing and alarming finding but, unfortunately, not surprising,
Written by Alex on October 23, 2009 – 2:51 pm
…On pages 49-51 of Chasing Medical Miracles I wrote, “Therapeutic misconception is also a significant issue and is thoroughly built in to how trials function today.” Things don’t get much clearer than that. I only hope that now, with this story about Dr. Stratton in the New York Times today, pehaps people with the power to change this deplorable practice in research will start to listen and change things…
Written by Alex on August 7, 2009 – 8:24 am
Some really fascinating stories get us going into the weekend. Interesting and heartfelt responses to NYT article about cancer trials and why people don’t volunteer for trials… although I’m not convinced of their necessity at all, very cool story about iphone and Windows apps for clinical trials … and an update on efforts in the U.S. and abroad about progress on trials for a swine flu vaccine…
Why Patients Turn Down Clinical Trials – New York Times – I read with interest your article about the chilling effect that low recruitment for clinical trials has had on the search for meaningful treatments.
Written by Alex on August 3, 2009 – 8:03 am
The New York Times has a story about cancer trials that subtly urges patients to enroll as subjects. There is also a sidebar about how to make the decision to enroll. Al in all, a pro-trials approach, which is becoming all too common in most media coverage of trials at the same time that corporate interests assert themselves … Also, a story from a recent Parade magazine urging people to, you guessed, it, enroll in trials. This one is done is such a strenuously blatantly fashion that the subhead is: “Sometimes it take an experiment to make you well.”
Forty Years’ War Lack of Study Participants Said to Hobble Fight … New York Times – Of course, there have been highly successful clinical trials…
Written by Alex on July 15, 2009 – 8:34 am
A vaccine for swine flu is nearing clinical trials testing while at the same time the U.S. is pumping another $1 billion into the vaccine to get it to trials, perhaps this month… A Denver television news station (of all places) has a very interesting story on a report released from watchdog organization Public Citizen saying that a large number of clinical trials results are not accurate because money plays to big an influence in trials… An examination of cancer trials reveals that race plays a part in the rates among African Americans in some significant cancers… all in all, interesting reading for a beautiful Wednesday…
Labs say swine flu vaccine is close to clinical trials – guardian.co.uk – UK – Some are in the experimental stages, while others are approaching the need for clinical trials. However they are “by no means” ready yet, according to the …
Written by Alex on June 30, 2009 – 9:28 am
The letters regarding Gina Kolata’s article in the New York Times Sunday about how grant funding directs a lot of cancer research and engenders an atmosphere of playing it safe in clinical trials are fascinating.
Almost everyone who wrote and is in the “cancer research” field appears to agree with the findings in the article. It begs the question of course: Why are these same people not working to change the atmosphere?…
Written by Alex on June 29, 2009 – 10:32 am
An excellent article in the New York Times by the always astute and well-informed medical and health writer Gina Kolata sheds light on how cancer research is driven by a grant system that rewards cautious thinking more than promoting bold ideas of how to cure and treat cancer. The article is a nice look at a portion of the “medical industrial complex” that appears to be a self-sustaining enterprise and an embedded part of how health care and research are conducted in the United States.
In a related story …
Written by Alex on June 17, 2009 – 9:41 am
With indictments against executives at two companies for conducting unauthorized clinical trials and with another trial voluntarily halted by a major university, Emory, because of poor record-keeping discovered after an audit, it’s interesting to see that the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Bulletin has an article advocating for a more streamlined clinical trials system to increase enrollment of subjects, at least in cancer trials… The apparent focus on recruitment as the first priority and on reducing regulatory oversight as the second priority of many institutions that conduct or sponsor trials is disturbing. In the words of Casey Stengel, “Doesn’t anyone here know how to play this game?”…
Norian, Synthes, executives charged with conducting medical trials … Bizjournals.com – Charlotte, NC, USA – The indictment charges that from May 2002 until fall 2004 Norian conspired with others, including Synthes, to conduct unauthorized clinical trials of two …See all stories on this topic
A Closer Look: A Sense of Urgency: Rethinking the Clinical Trial … National Cancer Institute – NCI Cancer Bulletin – Bethesda, MD, USA – Low enrollment of adult cancer patients in clinical trials is an ongoing challenge in cancer research. Only about 3 to 5 percent of adults diagnosed with … See all stories on this topic
Emory halts enrollment in cancer clinical trials – Atlanta Journal Constitution – GA, USA – By Craig Schneider – Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute has stopped accepting new patients into clinical trials after a critical audit … See all stories on this topic
Written by Alex on June 13, 2009 – 11:11 am
This is a great example of the positive power of clinical trials… A vaccine for swine flu – which the World Health Organization has recently deemed a worldwide pandemic – is being tested in clinical trials by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis. If things go well, the vaccine could be available for use in four months. Other great news today is about the success of a potential cancer vaccine as well as improvements for a gout treatment…
AFP – Swine flu vaccine ready for clinical trials – AFP – Swiss drugs firm Novartis says it has completed a first batch of vaccine for pre-clinical trials and aims to make a version available in about four months. … See all stories on this topic