Cancer Drug May Not Get A Chance Due to Lack of Patent

theshowmecanuck writes to mention that in a recent study, researchers at the University of Alberta Department of Medicine have shown that an existing small, relatively non-toxic molecule, dichloroacetate (DCA), causes regression in several different cancers. From the article: "But there's a catch: the drug isn't patented, and pharmaceutical companies may not be interested in funding further research if the treatment won't make them a profit. In findings that 'astounded' the researchers, the molecule known as DCA was shown to shrink lung, breast and brain tumors in both animal and human tissue experiments."

Comments

Generic drug manufacturers

[panaceaa]

Wouldn't companies like Barr Labs, whose entire business model is to develop drugs that have fallen out of patent protection, be interested in developing a drug that's not patent protected? It could be a major windfall for them since they're able to develop a new drug before existing brands can be established in the space. The only trick I see is that Barr Labs isn't as used to dealing with the Federal Drug Administration for drug approval, so it might take some hiring in key areas of the company. But these don't seem like insurmountable challenges given the potential market size and the business model match with existing out-of-patent drugs.

Re:Generic drug manufacturers

[jfengel]

It's not just their lack of expertise. Getting a drug through level 3 trials is expensive: it takes a lot of (often paid) subjects, and doctors and nurses to spend time with those subjects, and a battery of tests to be done on those subjects. This money is spent over years to ensure that the pill is safe and effective before you have even a single paying patient. Paying the subjects is actually the cheap part.

And there's the possibility that once they've spent all that money, it could fail. Maybe the pill just doesn't work. Maybe there are side effects: look at the way Merck is getting hammered for producing a highly effective pill (Vioxx) that just happened, to, well, kill a few people.

Barr makes their money by letting somebody else pay for all that, and then coming in a few years later and charging a lot less. It's the usual problem: the second pill costs $.49, but the first pill costs $75,000,000.

Private enterprises won't develop the cure?

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

then public labs should. This is a matter of public health, therefore the state should fund the research. If only because, if this molecule has potential, the taxpayer money they put into the research will be peanuts compared to what health care providers will have to pay for licensed medicines. I.e., for the state, this is a matter of making long-term economies, not even a humanitarian pursuit. But of course, our dear leaders have to be willing to pay a miser upfront to avoid paying billions to pharmaceutical companies 10 or 20 years down the line.

I just don't understand this country anymore: have people completely forgotten we have (or should have) public labs to do the kind of research short-sighted profit-oriented companies won't do? apart for military technologies, it seems society has decided to put its future advances squarely and solely in the hands of the corporate world. This is sad.

Get out your chemistry set

[Hoi Polloi]

According to the article dichloroacetate is relatively easy to obtain. "The compound, which is sold both as powder and as a liquid, is widely available at chemistry stores." I'm sure a pharmacist trained in the art of mixing compounds could formulate it to doctor's specs.

If worse comes to worse you raid your old "Super Advance Kiddee Chemistry Set" and dose yourself.

Good thing this is in Canada...

[Arrgh]

...where we believe that governments have a responsibility to set policy for, and even fund, public health initiatives that are not necessarily advantageous to any given industry sector or corporation.

The research in question was funded by a Canadian federal government agency, and I'm certain that one or two well-funded, non-profit and/or public sector agencies will step up to the plate to study whether the proposed treatment is safe, and if so, some smart non-intellectual-property-driven and yet profitable organization will market it.

Are you trying to troll me?

[Dr Caleb]

Yes it does. And that system is cheaper per capita, and results in Canadians having a 1.5 year longer average lifespan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American _health_care_systems_compared

Re:Am I missing something?

[dbrutus]

Since DCA is already on the market for the aforementioned mitochondrial dysfunction maladies, there doesn't need to be any testing. You just administer it "off label", if you dare. The problem is purely a legal one, figuring out the liability if you get the dosage wrong. The people who are currently making DCA have little incentive to fund that sort of thing because they're making next to no money on it already.

This is a job for a different business model, that's all.

Re:Am I missing something?

[6ame633k]

Perhaps Health Insurance Companies could fund this type of research - they would stand to benefit directly due to the high costs associated with cancer treatment.

Re:Am I missing something?

[The_Wilschon]

But if the defense lawyers just say "Well, you had no plans to develop it yourself, and besides, once it is developed, we are handing out the blueprint for free.", then the patent-funded lawyers ought to have no case. Whether or not they do have a case is a matter of what the laws on the books are, and I don't know that. But, if the laws on the books say they do have a case, then those laws have become a problem and need to be changed. The lobbyists might be more of a problem, which perhaps merely indicates that we need more restrictions on corporate lobbying.