“What I found over the next two and a half years of "researching the research" is a scandal in medical science that is at least the equivalent of any of the recent corporate scandals that have shaken Americans' confidence in the integrity of the corporate and financial worlds. Rigging medical studies, misrepresenting research results published in even the most influential medical journals, and withholding the findings of whole studies that don't come out in a sponsor's favor have all become the accepted norm in commercially sponsored medical research. To keep the lid sealed on this corruption of medical science—and to ensure its translation into medical practice—there is a complex web of corporate influence that includes disempowered regulatory agencies, commercially sponsored medical education, brilliant advertising, expensive public relations campaigns, and manipulation of free media coverage. And last, but not least, are the financial ties between many of the most trusted medical experts and the medical industry. These relationships bear a remarkable resemblance to the conflicts of interest the Securities and Exchange Commission recently brought to a halt after learning that securities analysts were receiving bonuses for writing reports that drove up stock prices with the intent of bringing in more investment banking business.”
Quoted from:
Overdosed America by John Abramson MD, page 9
Well come to find out that BMS/Medarex is opening up new clinical trials with Ipilimumab and continue to keep the compassionate use trial closed. How ethical is that?
Where do you draw the Line in the Sand?
When big pharma is involved in clinical development, it usually means large-scale clinical trials with patients and multiple sites.
Here are the trials:
Study of Ipilimumab and Dasatinib Combination Therapy in Patients With Chronic or Accelerated Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Start Date: August 2009
Estimated Study Completion Date: Feb 2011
Estimated Enrollment: 30
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00732186
Ipilimumab +/- Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced, Unresectable or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Start Date: February 2009
Estimated Study Completion Date: Feb 2013
Estimated Enrollment: 30
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00836407
Bevacizumab Plus Ipilimumab in Patients With Unresectable Stage III or IV Melanoma
Start Date: February 2009
Estimated Study Completion Date: Feb 2011
Estimated Enrollment: 33
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00790010
Laboratory-Treated T Cells With or Without Ipilimumab in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
Start Date: February 2009
Estimated Study Completion Date: Feb 2011
Estimated Enrollment: 30
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00871481
Study of Immunotherapy to Treat Advanced Prostate Cancer
Start Date: May 2009
Estimated Study Completion Date: December 2012
Estimated Enrollment: 800
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00861614
Further study details as provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb:
Ipilimumab +/- Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced, Unresectable or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Estimated Enrollment:30
Study Start Date:February 2009
Estimated Primary Completion Date:
February 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT00836407
A Phase I Study of Repetitive Dosing of Anti-CTLA-4 Antibody (MDX-010) in Combination With GM-CSF in Patients With Metastatic, Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer
Estimated Enrollment:36
Study Start Date:November 2009
Estimated Primary Completion Date:
November 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
These are all trials that were started after the halting of the compassionate Use. Bristol-Meyer Squibb thinks we the Melanoma Patients are expendable so they continued there quest to seek out new uses for the Drug as the STRING OF PEARLS.
.And the FDA has turned a blind Eye and gave it its unoffical approval to allow this to happen.
Where are the comsumers being protected. Without the patients, Bristol Meyer would have no trials. Very STRANGE BEDFELLOWS TO SAY THE LEAST.
Take Care,
Jimmy B
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