Process for New Cancer Treatment Options Too Slow
The development process for new drugs or any new options for cancer treatment is broken and must be fixed. A Tufts University study estimates the average cost of developing a new drug is over $800 million, and it takes an average of 12 years to get it to market. A fierce war against cancer cannot be waged with that kind of supply system. We are literally killing ourselves by accepting such a slow and burdensome process.
Imagine a field general reporting to the Department of Defense that he was losing the war, and being told to hang in there for 12 more years while they try to develop a better weapon. And, that is if they can find the $800 million to do the testing. That would be even more troubling to the general if he knew that many new weapons that might bring victory were available, but just hadn’t passed the 12 years of testing yet. Folks, if a cure for cancer were introduced today, and even if it were a natural, non-toxic substance, almost 7 million more victims would die before we could get the cure through our development process! How unacceptable is that? Even then, the likelihood is that it would be rejected in the process if it were not introduced through the conventional, big pharma industry. It is the FDA and the AMA in partnership with the NCI that manage our drug development system with the support of Congress. Laws should limit the ability of these agencies to overrule patients’ freedom. Cancer victims deserve the right to choose products and practices adequately tested to indicate little risk of harm and a reasonable potential of benefit. Our development system tells the cancer patient, “We have something very promising here, but we can’t let you have it. So go ahead and die while we test it a few more years to make sure there are no dangerous side effects.” We can effect change by becoming actively involved in a new strategy for the war on cancer.