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Sandra's avatar

The Covid era seems to be about rebooting the pharmaceutical industry. These weight loss drugs seem to be the latest thing. But are they properly regulated? The post thalidomide restrictions seem to have fallen away. https://sante.com/a-new-era-of-mega-blockbusters-how-pharma-is-being-redefined-by-large-scale-drug-development

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Hedley Rees's avatar

Spot on Sandra - the ugly fact is that personalized medicine is a pipe dream, or a fantasy created by Big Pharma, because all their products are one-size-fits-all—that's all the supply chain is capable of producing. Once they have been sold to wholesale distributors, there is no way of personalizing them. The article identifies the issue, that they can only do more of the same they have been doing for the last 40 years - Big is Beautiful! Great comment and make more if you like—it gives me a chance to dispel some of the myths!!! :O)

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Sandra's avatar

I did wonder what your thoughts might be on Zolgensma, which may or may not be a lifeline for children with spinal muscular atrophy. But very expensive. Over a 1 million for a treatment And obviously very niche. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56315870

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Hedley Rees's avatar

Take a look at https://www.fda.gov/media/107296/download

Kymriah is a gene modified cell therapy approved by FDA in August 2017 - the first ever. It is still marketed by Novartis, the company that has had Zolgensma approved, as in your post. Did you see the side effects on the Kymriah package insert - neurological toxicities, cytokine release syndrome and secondary cancers - sound familiar? It has an FDA Black Box warning, the strongest of all.

We must consider whether all gene modified cell therapies suffer from the same side effects. The evidence to date does not look good for patient safety 🥺😩 feel free to ask more, Sandra 😃

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Solveig Warren's avatar

At the moment I am standing at the bottom of the Hill wondering how long it will take me to get to the top of the hill! Still recovering from heart valve replacement surgery and associated events but the joy is following and reading updates on revelations! Brilliant stuff!

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Hedley Rees's avatar

Look after yourself my friend - and keep enthused!!!

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Brian Finney's avatar

Of course, the Vaccine Task Force is not a new idea - in 2013 Lord Darzi introduced the Academic Health Science Networks, now rebranded as Health Innovation Networks - basically to get medications to the patient sooner, don't know how that can be measured with any degree of certainty.

I see both VTF and HIN as pharma initiatives using Govt advisors as transport into the 'system' just like the lipid nanoparticles are used to get mRNA through the cell wall or blood brain barrier.

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Hedley Rees's avatar

Darzi is a bad 'un too Brian - see: https://www.flagshippioneering.com/people/ara-darzi plus he has so many fingers in the biotech pie he must have five pairs of hands!!! I'll find more stuff on him when i get a chance...:)

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Brian Finney's avatar

'.....Sir Richard Sykes, ..... vice-chairman of Lonza Group (manufacturers of the Moderna drug substance), wrote the Introduction to the (VTF) 2020 end of year report....'

The Govt seems to have a relationship with Moderna - must be nice to have friends in high places.

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Hedley Rees's avatar

That was built with taxpayers money, Alan, it was originally VMIC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-61011189 make it up you couldn't!!!

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