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Bird's avatar

Adding to that, I'll mention a bit of cancer research history.

We have had cures that work fabulously, but were not brought to market because the pharma companies developing them did a cost-benefit analysis and decided that the number of patients would be too small to yield a profit. Therefore, meds that melted glioblastoma (a death-sentence brain tumor) to non-existence were stopped at successful Phase II trials.

What should have happened at this moment?

Any scientists within the company who had enthusiasm for their brilliant work on that project should have been allowed to take that intellectual material and develop it further on their own ... via startup, community-funded philanthropic project, or in affordable pharmaceutical factories who produce generics abroad. Anything to get that recipe out to humanity. There would certainly be talented people and benevolent supporters who were willing to make that happen. And at no harm to the original big pharma company, since they decided not to follow through.

Edit: I'm sharing that story in honor of a wonderful brain surgeon who witnessed those miracles on his own patients, and was unable to save others after the trials were discontinued. This older gentleman worked every single day despite his own terminal illness, helping patients until his death.

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Joel W. Hay, PhD's avatar

I'm a PhD econometrician and have taught and researched econometrics in the health field for over 30 years. I'd be happy to discuss potential collaboration on this with you. I'm also quite sure that such an approach is potentially more successful than the big Pharma/FDA RCT approach. joel.hay@gmail.com

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