Not Your Problem
Today, the New York Times editorial page worries over whether or not the benefits of the prescription drug Avastin is worth the risks in regards to treating women with breast cancer.
The key study showed that when used with another drug, Avastin almost doubled the time cancers were held in check before starting to worsen. It also doubled the number of women whose tumors shrank significantly.
It did not extend overall survival rates and caused more serious side effects, including perhaps half a dozen deaths. That seems like a modest basis for approval pending completion of additional clinical trials. The quandary is whether an extra 5 1/2 months of holding tumor progression at bay is worth toxic side effects.
Hey New York Times ... Ever occur to you that maybe this shouldn't be your quandary?
The key study showed that when used with another drug, Avastin almost doubled the time cancers were held in check before starting to worsen. It also doubled the number of women whose tumors shrank significantly.
It did not extend overall survival rates and caused more serious side effects, including perhaps half a dozen deaths. That seems like a modest basis for approval pending completion of additional clinical trials. The quandary is whether an extra 5 1/2 months of holding tumor progression at bay is worth toxic side effects.
Hey New York Times ... Ever occur to you that maybe this shouldn't be your quandary?
posted by lonely libertarian at 2:51 PM
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