Thank you all for taking the time to read my sons article. It has been a long journey but by the grace of God we can say he is healed.

Given the track record of the Senate on both ethics and science, I’m very wary of attempts to circumvent the FDA. The history of this is one I find really fascinating, beginning with Act Up demanding access to HIV antiretroviral medications in the 80s. It’s always been a power struggle to some degree - it wasn’t good…

The data from these cases cannot be used for the actual trials.

Thank you for this. It’s an incredibly tough ethical issue and the legislation makes it sound so simple: why not give sick people drugs that could help? The notion of any kind of autonomy of informed consent in this situation is difficult for people who understood the biomedical background before they had a serious…

Correction : I wrote that Phase 2 tests for efficacy and safety. This is not accurate; Phase 2 only provides additional safety data (but it is accurate to say that less than 35% of drugs move out of Phase 2 testing). Phase 3 tests for efficacy. Also, there are cases other than cancer therapies in which individuals…

Not even that—the data’s not useful. Any actual healing or harm is a total side effect to this legislation’s goal of going around the FDA, because the FDA is evil Big Government.

That’s the thing though, they can’t be adequately informed about the risks if no one knows what the risks are. Before a drug can even be tested on people in a clinical setting it has to go through several previous phases of testing.

I’m a medical writer and my job is to submit regulatory documents to the FDA. People, the FDA exists for a reason. The number of vulnerable, dying people who may now be actively harmed or outright killed by con men selling toxic snake oils just went up in a big, big way.

You couldn’t use any of this data. It’s a really complex issue and the movement to release experimental drugs has an interesting history. But there’s really no easy answer.

Speaking as someone with a chronic health issue, if there were an experimental treatment tomorrow that offered me the chance of living pain-free, I’d definitely consider it. And if I only had six months, then I’d have to look at what was on offer and decide if it was worth risking that six months for a shot at longer.…

I don’t think pharma companies like it either. It’s a Goldwater Institute thing. USA Today article.

About the right-to-try stuff:

If they want experimental treatment they should join an actual clinical trial, which has protocols in place to inform and protect patients. This bill is only a win for pharma companies wanting to get out of following standard trial regulations.

The Senate has passed a “right-to-try” bill, a controversial bill that would allow terminal patients to try treatments that haven’t been approved by the FDA.

Unless they’re standing on the slope of a hill, looking up towards the top.

As a former university administrator and college advisor, I want to shout from the rooftops that students of color can do this! Taking advantage of support services can make all the difference in the world...advisors, tutoring centers, scholarship/fellowship workshops, jobs as RAs (free housing & food). University…

As a former university administrator and college advisor, I want to shout from the rooftops that students of color can do this! Taking advantage of support services can make all the difference in the world...advisors, tutoring centers, scholarship/fellowship workshops, jobs as RAs (free housing & food). University…

College is an investment, and like most investments there are significant risks. Taking $40,000 in loans to get a degree in a field with an average starting salary of $30k is a recipe for long term disaster, nor is college right for everyone.