“Experts” are actually arguing that patients should have increased access to drugs not yet tested and that this should be done on compassionate grounds. This article, by the way, came out a few days before the FDA decided to restrict Avandia, a drug that HAD ALREADY BEEN APPROVED because it increased the likelihood of heart attack

Kids often don’t understand enough about clinical trials and that can impact how many kids take part in trials.

There is some fascinating and potentially breakthrough news about cancer treatment vaccine trials that was reported in the National Cancer Institute Bulletin. Recent trials could reshape the field of cancer research and the quest for a cure. Whatever is accomplished is no doubt a long way off but it’s worth keeping your eyes on. I’ll continue to keep you informed as this topic develops but here is the lead on a new story…

Treatment vaccines that boost the immune system’s response to tumors may have important clinical benefits for patients with various types of cancer, according to results from several clinical trials presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando.

To many in the field, the findings represent an emergence of sorts for therapeutic cancer vaccines. Treatment vaccines have been the subject of intense study for more than 2 decades, but they have produced little in the way of FDA-approved cancer treatments. That could change based on the recent clinical trial results…

A story on CBS News on October 26, 2008 about the “Perils of American Health Care” offers insight into what could be a new and disturbing phenomenon regarding clinical trials taking place because of the bad economy. The story by Rita Braver profiles a woman with a young child. After losing her job and her [...]