From the bit i'm gathering, looks like all significant research is done by for-profit companies with the end result being of course profit. Can anyone direct me towards information regarding what is the National Cancer Institute 'not doing' on our behalf.
Sounds like the wolves watching the henhouse and if that is the case I suspect the general public has no idea of the implications of this arrangement. I've been researching cancer for 1.5 years on my mothers behalf and am just scratching the surface of how this giant machine works. If it is an issue of tax dollars being redirected so that objective research is conducted on behalf of the American public, then I'd like to understand what the issues are and start my own campaign of being the 'squeaky wheel' and trying to get people educated on the issues;
If anyone can provide direction, I would greatly appreciate it; and if I've posted on the wrong thread, please advise as well. Warm regards.
Reply # - June 10, 2013, 12:08 PM
Reply To: Research conflict of interest
Hi daisy,
I think it's a little more complicated than simply drug companies spending money to make a lot more, although that certainly is what they're after. But most trials are designed by doctors like the GRACE faculty, as they try to advance the knowledge base of cancer treatment. They submit their proposals to a number of different funding organizations, including drug companies. When the sponsor is a drug company, it's a balancing act - the doctors are after useful information and the drug companies are looking to sell drugs and make money. It's by no means a perfect system.
As far as the NCI, it has a page on clinical trials including their role as a sponsor: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/clinicaltrials/clinical-tr…
There is a good series of podcasts on the clinical trial system starting here:
http://cancergrace.org/cancer-101/2013/01/06/clin-trials-ramalingam-pt-…
There are links to the subsequent podcasts at the bottom of that page.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - June 10, 2013, 03:26 PM
Reply To: Research conflict of interest
thank you jim - needed a place to get started on my research;
Reply # - June 10, 2013, 06:11 PM
Reply To: Research conflict of interest
Part of the issue is that the US government used to spend a significant amount of money on funding cancer research, but now most money is spent on pre-clinical, lab-based work and almost nothing on actual patient-level research. This has coincided with more research being funded by private companies, so essentially cancer research is now nearly completely privatized. You can say that it's the fox guarding the henhouse, and it's certainly an imperfect system, but the way things have evolved is partly a product of the government no longer wanting to fund cancer research if drug companies will do it instead.
-Dr. West