Some Tumors Are Responding to A New Cancer Therapy (bloomberg.com)

A new cancer therapy in an early-stage trial by the U.S. National Cancer Institute "continued to be safe and show durable responses against solid tumors for some patients," reports Bloomberg. "In a trial of 14 patients who received different doses, three patients' cancers have shrunk partially, according to a study presented Sunday... The researchers had presented initial positive data in November, and the updated study shows that the three partial responses were durable, with one cervical cancer patient's response continuing at 15 months." Kite Pharma Inc. licensed the therapy, and by the end of the year will file an "investigational new drug" application with the FDA to begin the next round of testing. The therapy involves genetically engineered T cells, targeted to the solid tumors using the MAGE-A3 protein as a unique marker expressed in up to 30 percent of cancers.

Comments

Obligatory xkcd

[GuB-42]

Genetically modified T-cells to treat cancer, reminds me of this.
https://xkcd.com/938/

Re:Coming soon

[St.Creed]

Let's assume it does cost that much. Suppose I'm a minister of a health department, and I have 10 million to spend on medication for 10.000 patients. I can treat them all with vaccines, antibiotics, and set broken bones for that amount, or I can provide therapy for one patient... I'm afraid that one patient will have to go elsewhere.

As long as the medical companies are racking up profits to the tune of 1000% on medication, there will NEVER be a budget that can buy all the medication a population needs. Since each company will charge "what the market will bear" the combined effect is more than the market can actually bear. And thus people die.