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How Drug Companies Seek To Exploit Rare DNA Mutations
An anonymous reader writes: With so many people in the world, humanity can't help but generate a large amount of genetic outliers. Most random mutations are undetectable, and many of the rest lead to serious diseases. But there's another class of mutation that has drug companies salivating. For example: a few dozen people worldwide have a condition that prevents them from feeling any pain. Another condition called sclerosteosis affects less than 100 people, giving them incredibly dense bone structure. Both of these conditions have serious downsides, but drug companies are beginning to see the dollar signs behind isolating these mutations and making them safe.
"People with sclerosteosis lack a protein that acts as a brake on bone growth. Without that protein, bones grow abnormally thick. It stood to reason, researchers thought, that a drug that could block the protein in patients with osteoporosis would encourage bone regrowth. Amgen's scientists created hundreds of antibodies that they tested to determine which might be able to get in the way of the protein. It took them three and a half years of research before they were able to identify the best antibody to inhibit the protein. Then NASA came calling." It's an unfortunate situation for those with the rare conditions; there's a lot more potential profit in finding a way to genetically prevent pain for billions of people than it is to cure the handful with the condition.
"People with sclerosteosis lack a protein that acts as a brake on bone growth. Without that protein, bones grow abnormally thick. It stood to reason, researchers thought, that a drug that could block the protein in patients with osteoporosis would encourage bone regrowth. Amgen's scientists created hundreds of antibodies that they tested to determine which might be able to get in the way of the protein. It took them three and a half years of research before they were able to identify the best antibody to inhibit the protein. Then NASA came calling." It's an unfortunate situation for those with the rare conditions; there's a lot more potential profit in finding a way to genetically prevent pain for billions of people than it is to cure the handful with the condition.
Except, that's not what is happening.
They're using the rare and debilitating disease as a basis to develop treatment for other conditions ... the people with the rare and debilitating disease? Not profitable enough to cure.
They're researching how to take someone's illness, leave them untreated, and then use that information to treat someone else.
And, I'm sorry, but this is big pharma, which means they'll patent anything they discover and prevent people from actually working on cures for the people from whom they learned this in the first place.
Never assume drug companies aren't complete bastards who care only for their own profits. They've make cures from ground up babies if they could get away with it.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Quite likely true. However at least this gets them quite a bit of indirect exposure and may, yes may, eventually provide them with treatments (doubt we will have cures for genetic conditions anytime in our lifetimes). So I am going out on a limb and going to say it's not 100% bad for these people because without that interest they truly are 100% screwed instead of just 90%. If I was in that position I'd probably take those odds at a treatment.
I don't have a problem with the Pharmaceutical companies trying to maximize profits. Profits are necessary to help the market determine how to allocate resources. When a company makes "obscene" profits that is a signal to everyone else that resources should be taken from those enterprises incurring loses and invested in the more profitable ventures.
But patents have nothing to do with a free market. They are a state granted monopoly that need to be eliminated. Get rid of patents and you will have quicker and smaller innovations as companies try to stay ahead in their market.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.