Goldman Sachs Analyst Asks Whether Curing Patients Is A Sustainable Business Model

from the better-to-ask-whether-the-traditional-drug-development-model-is-sustainable dept

Pharma companies generally like to give the impression that their business is a win-win kind of thing: you get better, they get sales. But sometimes the mask slips, and the real strategy that lies behind the benevolent exterior is revealed. For example, back in 2014 we wrote about the CEO of Bayer, one of the biggest drug companies in the world, openly admitting it developed medicines for rich patients in the West that can pay high prices, not for those in places like India that need them just as much, but can't afford them.

Now CNBC has spotted another revealing remark that probably reflects what many in the Big Pharma world say privately. It appears in a report called "The Genome Revolution" about a new generation of treatments based on powerful genomic techniques like CRISPR. They hold out the hope that many diseases can be cured permanently, for example by editing the patient's DNA to replace genetic code that is causing the problem. The report asks: "Is curing patients a sustainable business model?" It goes on to explain the issue here:

"The potential to deliver 'one shot cures' is one of the most attractive aspects of gene therapy, genetically-engineered cell therapy and gene editing. However, such treatments offer a very different outlook with regard to recurring revenue versus chronic therapies," analyst Salveen Richter wrote in the note to clients Tuesday. "While this proposition carries tremendous value for patients and society, it could represent a challenge for genome medicine developers looking for sustained cash flow."

That's a fair analysis. Given the choice between creating a product that cures people after one use, and another that requires a lifetime's supply, the rational choice for a company is the latter. The analyst's question, shocking as it is, exposes neatly the tension between what Big Pharma and its shareholders may want -- fat, recurring profits -- and what patients and society desire -- a short course of treatment that results in a complete cure. As genomic medicine continues to progress, that question is likely to be posed more frequently, both behind closed doors, and in public debates. It will also bring with it another one: if curing patients isn't a sustainable business model for traditional pharma companies, why not find other ways to fund the development of genomic treatments?

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Filed Under: business models, cures, diseases, gene therapy, genetic engineering, genetics, health, pharmaceuticals, profits
Companies: goldman sachs

DailyDirt: Weight Loss Drugs That Might Work... Someday

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Obesity is a worldwide problem, affecting about 1.5 billion people. The World Health Organization estimates that about 10% of the world's adult population is obese. The cause of obesity isn't always clear, but the effects on health are significant. Diet and exercise are the first steps for addressing this health issue, but for some people, there's a need to go beyond that. Less than a handful of drugs are currently approved for long-term obesity treatment, but more might be on the way. Check out a few of these links, and maybe get up out of your chair and move a bit more....

• Genes that control how fat cells function have been identified and could lead to ways to fight obesity. The FTO gene seems to be able to control how energy is stored and used, and researchers think it's possible to come up with a gene therapy that might be beneficial to some obese patients. [url]
• An extract from the thunder god vine, called Celastrol, might become an obesity treatment. This medicine still needs rigorous controlled clinical trials, but it has had promising results for mice. [url]
• Why look to rodents for obesity studies? Grizzly bears might have solved part of the obesity problem. After hibernation, bears seem to recover quite well from the effects of kidney damage, induced diabetes, and a surplus of stored fat. The PTEN gene might point to an answer for us, if we can figure out the mechanisms for how this gene controls metabolism and other bodily functions. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: celastrol, drugs, fat cells, fto gene, gene therapy, genetics, health, hibernation, obesity, pten gene, thunder god vine, weight loss

DailyDirt: The Fight Against Cancer Continues...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There have been some pretty wild treatments for cancer, from modifying HIV and creating a gene therapy approach... to using genetically-engineered bacteria or radiation to attack cancer cells. Over the years, there have been quite a few promising studies that haven't amounted to practical treatments. There will probably never be a silver bullet, but until medicine figures out how to beat a lot more cancers, there's always more research to be done.

• Reprogramming cancer cells can make them normal cells again, providing a potential cancer treatment. The discovery of how to turn off the uncontrolled growth of tumor cells will need more time to develop into a practical cancer therapy, but this is encouraging work towards a fundamental understanding and possible cure. [url]
• Aspirin (aka "wonder drug") seems to keep finding more uses. It's not just a headache medicine or a drug that can prevent the risk of heart attacks, but it might also help boost the effectiveness of some cancer treatments. [url]
• An implantable "cancer sponge" could soak up rogue cancer cells before they spread to other organs and give doctors a better early warning detection system. The implant is made from an FDA-approved material already used in surgical sutures, and it seems to work in mice studies. Obviously, it'll take a while before human studies are complete, but this could be a much more convenient and less risky way to detect cancer in its earliest stages. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: aspirin, cancer, gene therapy, gmo, health, implants, medicine, treatment

DailyDirt: Super-Human Abilities, Not Just For X-Men

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Human genetic studies are pointing to more and more interesting information about how our bodies work and develop and ultimately fail. Optimists point to using this knowledge for the improvement of the human condition, but there are some obvious counter-arguments to this viewpoint. So far, though, the technology for genetic therapies or designer babies hasn't been anywhere near perfected, giving us some time to reflect on the possibilities and pitfalls. Unfortunately, our inherent biases in what we're looking at in our genome might prove to be our own undoing.

• Naturally-occurring genetic mutations happen all the time, and some of them could lead to treatments for serious diseases... or better than average abilities. Timothy Dreyer has an unusually high bone density mutation that could help treat osteoporosis, and there are other mutants that could be added to a registered database of mutants (without the help of Professor X). [url]
• Breast size genetics is being studied... to determine if there are any correlations to the incidence of breast cancer. Apparently, at least seven genetic factors are associated with breast size, and three of those are linked to breast cancer. [url]
• People with a condition called aphakia can see in the ultraviolet region of light -- normally invisible to most humans. Most people can distinguish about a million different colors, but others can perceive orders of magnitude more. Certainly, there are limits to human vision, but it's still amazing to think that people can see galaxies millions of light-years away on a clear night with the naked eye. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: aphakia, breast cancer, cancer, dna, gattaca, gene therapy, genetics, health, medicine, mutants, timothy dreyer
Companies: 23andme

DailyDirt: Memories Are Not As Reliable As They Used To Be

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Normally, when we remember something, we can estimate how reliable our memory is -- but not always. Sometimes it's hard to know if a particular memory is actually true. Our brains can forget details and fabricate things to fill in the gaps. More and more psychological studies seem to suggest that our memories are far more flexible than we might like them to be. Implanting fake memories isn't as hard as it sounds, and in the future, the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind might seem less far-fetched. Here are just a few things you might want to remember about remembering.

• The Tet1 gene has been found to be critical to the process of "memory extinction" which allows older memories to fade. If this gene can be controlled, there could be gene therapies for dealing with traumatic memories (or other situations where enhanced memory extinction would be desired). [url]
• Most people generally believe that traumatic experiences are especially unforgettable and memories formed under duress are the most accurate memories -- but most people are wrong. Memories -- even traumatic memories -- can be manipulated, and hundreds of studies involving thousands of subjects show that all kinds of memories can change and be mis-remembered. [url]
• Drug addicts could someday be treated with a kind of memory manipulation. A study of former heroin users re-trained these addicts to "forget" various cues that might trigger cravings for heroin, and the positive results could potentially be applied to other addictions. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: brain, forgetting, gene therapy, memory, memory extinction, ptsd, remembering

DailyDirt: Children Are The Future, Engineer Them Well, & Let Them Lead The Way

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The movie GATTACA came out back in 1997, but the technology to breed better people is just now starting to become more practical. We've been able (through in vitro fertilization) to select a desired baby gender for years, so selecting other traits doesn't seem that far off -- even though gene expression is a pretty complicated process. Here are just a few more projects that could lead to designing our kids' genes with more fine tuning.

• Zhao Bowen heads up a genetic research project at BGI Shenzhen that aims to crack the genetic code for intelligence by sequencing the genes of thousands of intelligent people around the world. The project boldly claims that it could boost the IQ of unborn children by 20 points. [url]
• Genetic research is finding possible links between genetic markers and some forms of autism, suggesting that there could be genetic therapies in the future. Mapping genetic mutations to particular brain traits isn't a simple task, but with more data, brain research has the potential to make significant changes to society. [url]
• Professor Julian Savulescu argues that screening babies for genetic defects is simply responsible parenting. The debate over designer babies is far from over.... [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: autism, babies, children, designer babies, dna sequencing, eugenics, gattaca, gene therapy, genetic engineering, intelligence, iq, julian savulescu, parenting, zhao bowen
Companies: bgi shenzhen

DailyDirt: Cures For Everything..?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Medical technology has come a long way from leeches and barbers. But there are still a lot of horrible diseases without cures. Here are just a few projects working on some important cures.

• There's a gene therapy approach to treating a form of leukemia that seems effective so far on three patients. Interestingly, the researchers used a modified version of HIV to inject the gene therapy treatment.... [url]
• Antiviral drugs seem pretty hard to find, but it looks like one has been found that's effective against at least 15 different viruses. Including the common cold! DRACOs (Double-stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligomerizers) FTW! [url]
• Polio has a cure, and it's *almost* completely eradicated. However, it still exists, and wiping it out isn't going to be easy. [url]
• To find more interesting stuff on health-related topics, check out what's currently in the StumbleUpon archives. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: antiviral drugs, cancer, cures, dracos, gene therapy, hiv, polio