azor
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..."I have the impression that the Calmare protocol may do better than that for chronic pain..."...well, that's lovely...however, from the standpoint of BUSINESS -- which some would argue this forum is about -- it's irrelevant...in terms of BUSINESS, the ONLY thing that's REALLY important right now is third party reimbursement...
...and that means -- altogether now! -- RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED studies!...wishful thinking and testimonials just don't cut it with those guys...
...and in terms of BUSINESS, one would think that SOMEONE would be interested in those Clinuvel royalties that seem to have just vaporized into thin air!...but has anyone except me shown the least bit of interest in those?...nope!...
..."another insurance company (new one) approved Calmare treatments at a rate of $200 per treatment."???...and do you have a link where anyone could verify that?...
...meanwhile, "Trailblazer Health" reaffirms an earlier post of mine about Medicare's opinion:
http://www.trailblazerhealth.com/Tools/LCDs.aspx?ID=2949
...where "0278t" is filed under "Local NON-Coverage Decisions Investigational, Unproven or Experimental"...I capitalized "NON" just to -- well, you know -- just to EMPHASIZE it...
...and it looks like Washington has joined the list as well:
http://www.wa.regence.com/provider/claims-and-billing/coding-toolkit/docs/ECE/2012/2012-02-01-regence-clinical-edits-by-code.pdf
...where you see:
"CODE: 0278T DESCRIPTION: Tempr TYPE: Investigational Denial COMMENT: Always considered investigational; investigational services are denied (member liability)"
..."member liability" means the zappee has to pick up the tab...
...and "Asuris":
http://web.asuris.com/provider/claims-and-billing/coding-toolkit/docs/ECE/2012/2012-01-01-asuris-clinical-edits-by-code-add.pdf
...big'ol fat "Investigational Denial" next to 0278t...
...and don't want to forget "Harrrrvard":
https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PROVIDERS/MANUALS/PAYMENT%20POLICIES/H-3%20NON-COVERED%20SRVS_011512.PDF
...where 0278t garners a "Provider liable—procedure code NOT eligible for payment"...I capitalized the "NOT" just for -- you know -- EMPHASIS...
..."I sent a request to CTT to provide the name of the university which issued Giuseppe his (alleged) PhD."????...HAW!!!..."alleged"???...HAW!!...I only just noticed that was there!...by any chance, did you send one to Marineo as well?...or Tor Vergato?...or Gatti?...or Life Episteme?...if you did, I bet you got the SAME ANSWER CTT gave you!...am I right?...huh?...am I?...
..."Very impressive credentials"????...yessirreee!...but you see, my whole point was that I don't need to claim no stinkin' credentials!...fake or otherwise...especially since I'm not trying to con any scientific journals into publishing my articles and I'm not trying to sell any miracle painkillin' bugzappers!...
...like I said in my response to your post 3833:
"my credentials are even better because I provide a LINK to SUPPORT practically EVERYTHING I say...no testimonials from people you don't know, no high falutin, pseudoscientific, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious verbiage...no sir, just links you can EXAMINE YOURSELF, up close and personal, and whose merit YOU CAN ASSESS at your leisure..."
...and the MOST IMPORTANT part of the original post was:
"but if YOU or Stevie find ANY errors in my discussions of Marineo and the bugzapper, you be sure and point'em out..."
...and I'm a still waiting for someone to do that!...by the way, what does the magic orb of pacer reveal about discovery?...is the game on yet?...
..."No need for details, just take our word for it."???...frustrating, isn't it?...and of course, one might presume that the REASON Jean and Johnnie don't want to provide "details" is that those "details" contain information damaging to CTTC...at least that's the only reason I can think of...
...which brings us to our next question -- have you polished your pacer orb recently to see if discovery has started yet?...with any luck, discovery will relieve Jean and Johnnie of their "duty" to the company...
..."Wow, that Google translation is hard reading..."???...yeah, I threw in the towel on:
"...company management youngeopryeokman fixed cost structure is minimized when the kidneys to the revenue structure has enabled the transition."
...yeah, I don't know exactly how "kidneys" fit into "revenue structure"...but then again, we are talking about a partner of CTTC...
..."Oh no. This is BAD."????...if he did, would anyone really be able to tell the difference?...
..."Knew it all."????...well, good!...could you kindly explain -- for the benefit of those less knowledgeable and/or for those new to the board -- exactly what happened to those Clinuvel royalties?...those probably could come in real handy right about now...maybe even spare current shareholders another Form D filing...
..."Looks like there has been nothing new posted."????...so you knew about Clinuvel and the royalties it maybe should or shouldn't owe CTTC?...
...and you knew about Gatti and Tor Vergada teaming up with the PBK-2C manufacturer?...
...and you knew about GEOMC's apparent financial troubles and their comments about the bugzapper being available for "home use"...
...and you knew about the change in the VCU trial?...
...and you knew about Marineo and the bugzapper being kicked off Wikpedia?...
...and you knew that Albania "distributor" is a gas company...
...and you knew about that paragraph in the last 10Q that makes it sound like CTTC has taken over worldwide sale and distribution THEMSELVES...
...wow!...I'm impressed!...so do you know where Marineo got an advanced degree?...or if you're not "authorized" to release that information, then do you at least know when the next 10Q is to be released?...
..."Excellent. I didn't check..."???...you might want to check out a picture of the device Tor Vegada has:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?act=url&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ko&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.geomc.co.kr/web_page/02business/business05.asp&usg=ALkJrhjW61FNvjjKnPiseQQ14if8vppo4A
...yep!...I'm pretty sure that's it!...the ORIGINAL bugzapper that Marineo probably himself lugged in the door some TEN YEARS ago...
..I wonder if he signed it...cuz' if he did, ya'know it could be a valuable collectible some day!...once he becomes famous and all!...
...but I'm kinda surprised Tor Vergada hasn't sprung for a new up-to-date model!...what with all that miracle painkillin' goin'on, they probably got more cash flow than they know what to do with!...don't ya'reckon?...
...hmmmm...wonder how close to the edge GEOMC is:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ko&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geomc.co.kr%2Fweb_page%2F01company%2Fcompany04.asp&act=url
...say what:
"Above all, despite numerous difficulties in the past with us and who have always believed, shareholders, creditors and all stakeholders and partners minute sincere thank you."
...thanking your creditors in your New Year's greeting isn't the kind of thing to inspire confidence in investors...and:
"First, the ongoing restructuring efforts during the 2011 recovery plan in accordance with the company in late confirmed the complete removal of the bad sectors..."
..."restructuring"???..."removal of bad sectors"???...that doesn't sound too good, does it?...and:
"Second, both the structure of these two businesses entered the growing market for new growth and differentiation in the world is unique because technology..."
...so is that like her saying GEOMC is DEPENDING on the MC Squared and the "Pain Scrambler" for their future survival????...oh, yeah!...like the MC Squared really flew off the shelves, didn't it?!...why, just look at how many CTT sold!...what was that?...something like ZERO?...and the "growing market" for miracle painkillin' bugzappers has been lookin' a little bit stunted so far...
...so if GEOMC is depending on portable light shows and chronic pain suuferin' to carry them out of their economic woes, they might want to reconsider!...
...by the way, does CTTC have a backup manufacturer?...and/or a backup to handle warranty issues?...I mean, just in case, you know?...
...whatever happened to the Virginia Commonwealth University trial:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01196442?term=mc5-a&rank=4
...start date of 9/2010 and estimated completion 9/2012...switched from Smith to some guy named Swainey...not randomized, not blinded, not controlled -- in other words, not worth a hoot for gaining third party reimbursement...
...and the most recent change is:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/archive/NCT01196442/2012_01_17/changes
...increased enrollment from 22 to 100??????...why?...they think a study that is not randomized, not blinded, not controlled is going to gain validity in reimbursers' eyes because of the quantity of patients?...no, don't think so!...oh, wait!...maybe...just maybe they did 22 patients and the results weren't significant so they tacked on 78 more thinking maybe they could find something -- ANYTHING -- significant!...
...maybe someone can ask Johnnie to clarify it a little...he's done such a fine job clarifying what happened to those Clinuvel royalties...Marineo's education history...why Conley was chosen as "national sales manager," etc, etc...
...given the lack of response, I take it either no one knows or no one cares about those royalties that MIGHT have been due from Clinuvel but which appear to have up and disappeared?...
...or that Marineo's ol'buddy Gatti seems to have found more fertile fields to plow with a "better" device:
http://www.pbkinternational.com/downloads/E_-_Gubernari_(Gatti)_-_257_cases.pdf
...well, on the other hand, since those are now selling on ebay -- well, at least that one was -- maybe that field wasn't all that "fertile" after all...
...and is no one the least interested that GEOMC is saying that "at home, used under doctor's orders," Marineo's device "is available"...hmmmmm...does "is available" mean GEOMC is selling them for home use in Korea NOW?...I wonder how much they would charge?...probably nowhere near $50,000 I bet...
...news like that COULD make selling machines over here a lot tougher...and CTTC's last 10Q listed $4,230,156 in inventory...presuming they value them at $50,000 each, then there must have been about 85 machines in inventory as of 9/30/2011...my, my...EIGHTY FIVE...that IS a LOT of machines, isn't it?...I wonder how many of those they sold last quarter?...
...anyone know when the next 10Q is due?...bound to be getting close, right?...
..."ought to be disclosed in a press release"???...they OUGHT to have issued a PR announcing the suit against the American Arbitrators Association...goodness knows how much shareholder equity has been poured down that toilet to no useful purpose except to disclose to the world the "dirt" on Nano...that's a real good way to impress potential customers...
...by the way, did they FINALLY settle that thing?...it seems to me that it qualified as a Rule 11 violation:
http://lwwlaw.com/rule-11-violation-%E2%80%93-frivolous-and-groundless-lawsuit-attorney-fee-sanction-against-attorney-marc-bendinelli
...even I knew -- and posted here in fact -- that the lawsuit was absurd since CTTC had agreed to the terms of the arbitration to begin with...
...also, I'm fascinated that no one seems interested in those royalties that "Clinuvel" SHOULD or should NOT be paying CTTC...what happened to those?...anyone care to volunteer an answer?...
..."From the dead Wikipedia page..."???...be sure to use the most recent version of that link:
http://www.ptvonline.it/uo_ter_ant.asp
...YOUR link is to a page from 2008:
http://www.ptvonline.it/search.html?searWords=marineo
...however, I emailed Gatti and the public relations department of the "polyclinic" last July and asked for information about "Professor Marineo"...they never answered me...but about a week after my email they updated that website, and that statement became per google translate:
"...is the brainchild and the pursuit of Mr. Giuseppe Marineo..."
...looks like my email may have prompted a sudden demotion...
...and speaking of Gatti, isn't it interesting that despite those marvelous results in 2005:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=gatti%20a.%20marineo
...they didn't collaborate any further?...Gatti apparently didn't consider Marineo's bugzapper worth any further effort on his part?...
...removed from wikpedia?!...now that is just plain disrespectful!...can you believe they put the bugzapper in the "deletionpedia":
http://deletionpedia.dbatley.com/w/index.php?title=Scrambler_therapy_(deleted_31_May_2008_at_20:36)
...but for heaven's sake, why:
"... there are apparently no sources intellectually independent from the inventor..."
"No evidence that it works, only limited evidence that anyone is using it. Creator of article has username identical to perhaps the only website that gives airtime to this treatment, and is the site run by the company headed by the original inventor."
"This certainly does seem like self-promotion."
"Um...huh? that has to be one of the most densely-jargon-laden passages I have read in a long time. It is impossible to get a sense of what it actually is from reading it, which raises doubts in my mind."
"Given that you can't discuss the topic without discussing the author (since he's the only one who is using, testing, publishing, developing it), COI and self-promotion are big concerns."
"If it catches on and some additional work is published by someone who hasn't invented/profited from it, we could revisit it..."
...but leave it to some new ager, "Lova Falk," to be the ONLY ONE who argues to keep Marineo's article:
"To address notability: "Scrambler therapy" gives 954 hits on Google, which I personally think is enough to qualify for an article in Wikipedia."
...but a Dutch doctor, "Jfdwolff," shoots her down:
"Hope you don't mind that I turn the question around: why is this notable, given that it has not been proven and we cannot demonstrate that many people are relying on it? With all the "social media" stuff that friends of the professor have posted, it is rather easy to clock up Google hits..."
..."...all the "social media" stuff that friends of the professor have posted..."????...hmmmmm...that seems familiar somehow...HAW!...
...but Joe came right back at'em:
"I was astonished to read the request by a user to cancel the page."
"Other data based on non homogeneous case histories of over 2,300 patients collected over ten years by the Tor Vergata University Polyclinic show the same trends as those published."
"Furthermore, it is a fact that in several neuropathic and oncologic pain types the placebo effect has no clinical significance."
"...a therapy that for the time being is the only solution documented in scientific literature and clinically verified for the treatment of pain that is untreatable by other methods, that is, pain which if not treated effectively often leads patients to demand euthanasia."
...okay, okay, Joe!...settle down!...it's not like they're trying to kiss your sister or sumthin!...what did you say, Joe:
"I think the time has come to end the discussion and leave the page without the request for cancellation, or else remove it and leave all the information to Google and Medline."
...good idea, Joe!...they ended the discussion!...and they removed the article!...way to go, Joe!...HAW!!...
...that one part was interesting -- the part where he says he has(had?) "Contract teaching activities at Department of Biology of “Roma Tre” University of Rome"...unfortunately, I couldn't find any evidence on their website:
http://europa.uniroma3.it/biologia/dipartimento_personale.aspx?lang=en
...so I sent'em an email inquiring whether he was ever employed there...hey, maybe CTTC can "appeal" the decision and get it listed again!...presuming of course, they don't need to hire another lawyer to do it!...HAW!...
..."Payne scrambler according to the instructions of the physician in a hospital can be used. And at home, used under doctor's orders
Is available."????...at home?...so much for needing some medical "professional" to run the thing:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?act=url&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ko&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.geomc.co.kr/web_page/02business/business05.asp&usg=ALkJrhjW61FNvjjKnPiseQQ14if8vppo4A
...of course, finding patients with 50 grand to spend could be kind of hard...maybe insurance would pay for it -- NOT!...
...oh!...and don't you just LOVE those photographs of the geezer getting zapped with what must be the ORIGINAL bugzapper that Marineo donated to Tor Vergata some ten YEARS ago...which they evidently added to their extensive collection of "sophisticated" therapy devices:
"Pulsed Signal Therapy (PST): Treatment for arthritis and ostioporosis
Percutaneous Neuromodulation
Laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of radiation)
Paediatric Pain
TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator)
Biofeedback
PBK-2C: a transcutaneous modulation system, which aims, with a valuable and innovative approach in the treatment of diseases and complications in the system of the peripheral nervous system, vascular, and of the musculoskeletal and integumentary."
...ohhhh...that last one is neato:
http://www.pbkinternational.com/process.htm
...say what:
"It utilises the body's own physiological systems to instigate an accelerated repair mechanism based on the activation of new micro-circulation in the affected areas. Typically, after only four to five repeat sessions patients experience exceptional pain relief, increased joint mobility and increased strength."
...why just kill pain when you can fix what caused it in the first place?!...but why does TENS get so lttle respect?...no one seems to want to be one:
"Hence the PBK-2C does not operate as interferrential or TENS-type systems..."
...of course, no TENS could treat constipation:
http://www.francospada.it/siti/riabilitazione/phyback/pagine/ridotte.htm
...and no ordinary TENS could give you results like these:
http://www.pbkinternational.com/downloads/E_-_Gubernari_(Gatti)_-_257_cases.pdf
...wow!...those look almost as good as Marineo's!...hmmmmm...Gatti?...Gatti?...where have I heard that name before?...oh, yeah, he's Marineo's bud:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16012423
...darn!...they sure do get great results at Tor Vergata, don't they?...maybe it's their proximity to the Pope -- you reckon?...
...to see how much competition they might offer CTTC, I looked around to see how much the things cost...unfortunately, the only place I could find anyone selling the thing was on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phyback-PBK-2C-Electrotherapy-Pain-Relief-Machine-/180699894630
...shucks!...looks like someone must have beat me to it!...
...whatever happened to those 2,000,000 shares of Epitan stock:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/102198/000114420405031650/v026984_10k.htm
...apparently still there in 2007 under the new name of Clinuvel:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/102198/000114420406044312/v055147_10-k.htm
...oops!...sold them:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/102198/000136086508000079/ctt10k2008.txt
...talk about bad timing:
http://www.clinuvel.com/en/investors/share-prices
...so they waited until the stock had dropped from $12 to $2?...sad, sad!......
...they probably should have held onto them since the company reported positive phase 3 results:
http://www.clinuvel.com/en/news-publications/announcements/item/4714-cuv029-results
...which probably contributed to:
http://www.clinuvel.com/en/news-publications/announcements/item/4714-cuv029-results
...and would you look!...it's already approved on the bugzapper's turf:
http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/346731/clinuvel_gets_pre-approval_win_italy
...and you can even already buy the stuff online:
https://www.mellowtan.com/melanotan.php
...although I don't know if I'd trust that kind of source...
...but just think how handy those two MILLION shares would come in right now!...that 21% rally alone would have been worth a million bucks in additional assets!...woulda, coulda, shoulda, huh?...
...but the question is what does this mean from CTTC's most recent 10K:
"Sunless tanning agent, a skin-pigment enhancer being researched as a skin cancer preventative, and therapeutic for vitiligo, albinism and psoriasis, exclusively licensed to Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (Australia)"
...license?...does that mean royalties?...wouldn't that be nice?...but wait a minute -- Clinuvel says they don't owe anyone any royalties:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=clinuvel%20royalties&source=web&cd=5&sqi=2&ved=0CD8QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clinuvel.com%2Fen%2Fnews-publications%2Fannual-reports%2Fitem%2Fdownload%2F163&ei=D5kuT72VMM7LtgeT1rnXDw&usg=AFQjCNGl3GoJudOoXbz5I47wUfUcZYwssw
...and, indeed, looking through the past 6-7 CTTC quarterly reports, I couldn't find ANY mention of Clinuvel anywhere...so WHAT happened to Clinuvel and its ostensibly owed royalties?...
....whatever happened to the "patented Unitary Anastomotic Device (UAD)":
http://www.iptoday.com/news-archived-article.asp?id=981&type=
...hmmmmmmm...a "cylindrical, hollow prostheses for the surgical connection of separate or severed tubular hollow organs to form a continuous channel, as between two parts of vascular or visceral organs"????...uhhhhhh...like a HOSE?...
..."The anastomotic device can be made of many different materials, including Cr-Ni-Mo stainless steel, titanium, silicone, PTFE, gold or silver."???...can I get one chrome-plated?...I always wanted a chrome-plated HOSE...
..."Several prototypes have been manufactured to support extensive in vivo and in vitro clinical animal studies."????...and exactly how many studies have been conducted do far on this HOSE?...
..."I don't and I don't care The proof is in his accomplishments."????...well first, while you may not care, more significant others just might...patients, for instance...therapy from a machine invented by some TV repairman just isn't quite as mesmerizing as one invented by a REAL "professor" with an assortment of advanced degrees...
...and potential customers, for instance...their enthusiasm might be severely dampened should they discover the $50,000 machine they were thinking about buying was invented by a con artist...
...and in particular, all those JOURNALS where Marineo tacked on letters representing degrees after his name which -- IF they don't exist -- makes him -- are you ready for it? -- a BONAFIDE FRAUD!...
...especially over just the past decade, scientific fraud has embarrassed a LOT of different journals and so they're REAL SENSITIVE about it...so if I'm right, don't be surprised but what a lot or maybe even all of those papers with his name on them don't just up and disappear...
...on the other hand, if Johnnie would just come on out and tell everyone what degrees Marineo has and where he got them, the whole topic would instantly be eliminated from discussion...wouldn't that be grand?...I can sure tell you that I, for one, am tired of talking about it...and I can tell you're tired of listening to me talk about it...so do us both a favor and ring Johnnie up and give him a good talking to...
..."a matter which ought to be disclosed in a press release"????...good luck!...I emailed all sorts of information about the thing to a dozen publications including the WSJ, the Hartford Business Journal, and the Hartford Courant...not so much as a single howdy-do in return!...can you believe that?!...not even CTTC's own "hometown" newspapers apparently give a flying F about what's happening with the company!...of course, given the CTT history provided courtesy of the BOD in the Nano/AAA lawsuits, maybe they're just embarrassed...HAW!...
...by the way, my hero:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhys_Morgan
...oh, yeah!...he's the man alright:
http://rhysmorgan.co/
...hmmmmm...he looks pretty clever; maybe I can get him to track down the source of Marineo's ALLEGED "PhD"...or is today "DSc" day?...
..."To your point..."????...ack!...but what about MY point, oh grand vizir of the hub, possessor of the magic orb of Pacer?...have they gone to discovery yet?...that's when we get to find out about Marineo's ALLEGED "DSc" and/or "PhD" and/or "MD/DSc" and/or "MD/PhD"...surely everyone is on pins and needles waiting for that information...given its significance to the company's future and all that...so where do things stand?...
..."I have no reason to doubt..."???...that Marineo hasn't a SINGLE degree to his name?...that he's probably just some hack electronics technician who's day job is somewhere close to his little blue shack with the pretty red tile roof?...if so then that might be the reason Johnnie doesn't want to talk about Marineo's background to anyone, huh?...might undermine sales or something like that, right?...well, of course, that's if there WERE any sales...when'd you say that 10Q was coming out?...
..."Does anybody find this interesting?"???...hmmmmmmmmmmm...nope!...more important -- has it gone to discovery yet?...that's the part where everybody finally gets to find out about Marineo's ALLEGED degrees...and then maybe Jean won't have to worry about getting "authorized to share" that inormation anymore...HAW!!!...authorized!!!...HAW!...that's such a hoot!...
...I can just imagine Johnnie getting on the stand and when asked where Marineo got his PhD, saying, "Sorry, I'm not authorized to release that information."...
...and then after the lawyer regains his composure from busting a gut laughing, he asks why and Johnnie says, "Cause if I tell everyone he graduated from the CIA University College of Bioengineering, he'll strap me to a table and TWITCH me!!!"...
...HAW!!!...and then it gets much more interesting -- if I'm right, of course -- and Johnnie has to answer the question, "Well, sir, if Mr. Marineo has no degrees, why did CTTC give him a "DSc" in the amended 10K filed in September of 2011...and a "PhD" in this document...and a "MD,PhD" in this document...and a "MD, DSc" in this document?"...Johnnie responds, "duhhhhhh...duhh...well, uhhhh...duhhhhhh"...HAW!...
..."And where, sir, where has he ever been employed as a "professor" -- as it says in this document...and this document...and this document..."...yeah, those'll be interesting answers...
...so anyway, have they hit discovery yet, ye grand possessor of the almighty pacer account?...
...HAW!...how many lawyers are needed to change a light bulb?...answer -- none of them can but if you need someone to screw a lightbulb...someone mentioned that CTTC had recruited yet ANOTHER lawyer...how many does that make now?...four?...five??...six???...
...originally, they had Cutler in Texas and "ETHAN A LEVIN-EPSTEIN"...and then they tacked on:
SALE STEPHEN 12/8/11
910 SIXTEENTH ST NW
FIFTH FLOOR
WASHINGTON, DC 20006 Appear Date: 03/25/2011
...followed by:
ROBERT ALLEN HOROWITZ
GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP
200 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10166 Appear Date: 06/14/2011
...and now someone said they've added ANOTHER?...goodness!...one more hog at the trough!...HAW!...and how much are all these costing shareholders?...
...well, on the bright side, maybe this one actually KNOWS SOMETHING about the law!...as compared to what the others did for CTTC in the Nano/AAA DEBACLE -- OVER $600,000 in shareholder equity flushed away for NOTHING...HAW!...
...whoever they are, I hope someone remembers to send'em a bugzapper warming present?...HAW!!!...
...by the way, I forgot to ask -- what exactly is a "stable opioid"?...
...I mentioned in an earlier post about Despo "bragging" on sending three machines to ALbania...hoo-boy!...Albania!...anyway, per the calmarett website, this is the "distributor" there:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sq&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgts.al%2F&act=url
...a gas company?...really?...well, to be fair, they DO sell medical gases -- wedged right in there with:
"...the welding sector by trading and distributing equipment, apparatus, material welding and cutting materials, which are descended from Sol Welding Society, in cooperation with companies ESSETI, Tecnosol, e-Robot and Overweld."
...I guess miracle painkillin' bugzappers are filed somewhere between acetylene torches and flux?...HAW!...of course, it IS Albania...heck, they might be using it for welding!...HAW!!...
...but seriously, a gas company company?...even a medical gas company?...who comes up with this stuff?...
...well, isn't that curious?...I only just noted a few lines in the 10Q:
"During the quarter ended March 31, 2011, CTTC negotiated a new distribution agreement with Life Episteme Italia ("LEI") for the countries of Italy and Malta...LEI purchased 53 of the 55 devices CTTC had taken back into inventory from LEG...All payments from LEI have been received..."
...which sounds like "LEI" is now distributing ONLY to Italy and Malta...and since nothing more has been heard from them, I presume they're still trying to get rid of those machines they took back...
...and then there's this paragraph:
"In 2011 the Company has taken greater control of the sales process, worldwide. We are the primary obligor, responsible for delivering devices as well as for training our customers in the proper use of the device. We deal directly with customers, setting pricing and providing training; work directly with the inventor of the technology to develop specifications and any changes thereto and to select and contract with manufacturing partners; and retain significant credit risk for amounts billed to customers."
..."primary obligor"?..."responsible for delivering"?..."training"?so are they saying that THEY have taken over worldwide sale and distribution THEMSELVES and that all those other past "distributor" deals are now now moot?...if not, then what exactly are the "distributors" supposed to be doing?...
..."He said they allow opioids, stable opioids, and they track use."???...but will he be REPORTING the numbers?...the description indicated that he was looking at only two "outcomes":
"Primary Outcome Measures:
Change in Visual Analog Scale pre/post treatment [ Time Frame: baseline, before/after each treatment, and 3 months after treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
Adverse events [ Time Frame: Daily with each treatment and at end of 3 month follow up period ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
adverse events according to CTCAE"
...and what does he say about his "sham"?...what exactly has he devised?...
..."The last order for $600,000 was..."???...uhhhhh -- which was SIX MONTHS ago?...are you sure that wasn't the tip of an ice CUBE?...HAW!...
...which reminds me -- when is the next 10Q due?...one or two weeks?...I wonder whether they collected the rest of their dough from the "factor"...it struck me as rather odd that the military sale took place before August 18 and payment was due within 30 days, yet the "factor" still owed CTTC $465,000 September 30...
..."stable analgesics regimens allowed (no change for past 7 days)"????...that means no change in the regimen in the 7 days BEFORE the therapy begins...AFTER the therapy begins wouldn't make sense for the reason I pointed out...presumably, he's not going to discard patient data if someone decides to take some aspirin or for a pain...and patients WILL take medicine for pain REGARDLESS of instructions not to...
...MORE important, however, is what you SHOULD HAVE asked -- why isn't he monitoring analgesic consumption during the study...that is IMPORTANT data...Smith's study showed NO CHANGE in opioid consumption which was INCONSISTENT with what he interpreted as positive bugzapper therapy pain relief...if Campbell could show a decrease in opioid consumption then that would be an argument to use for insurance reimbursement...
..."He's carefully tracking analgesic use and requires that it remain stable."????...first, it doesn't say that here:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01261780?term=mc-5a&rank=1
...second, that's silly...what qualifies as "stable"?...suppose someone gets a headache during the trial and takes a couple of vicodin
, would Toby discard their data and remove them from the study?...not hardly...the ONLY thing he can do -- and SHOULD do -- is TRACK medication consumption...give'em all a 100 vicodin one day and then see how many they got left one, two, whatever weeks later...overall, IF the bugzapper is effective, he should detect a significant decrease in analgesic use...more important, it's the kind of thing that impresses insurance people since it would mean they could expect to spend less money on analgesics...
..."Toby is allowing narcotic analgesics, but not anticonvulsants."???...uhhhh, yeah...I think that's what I said...
...what he does NOT appear to be doing is measuring or assessing changes in medication regimen while in the study...as I pointed out in a previous post, that failure -- presuming its true -- renders the study nearly totally useless...there won't be any way to rule out that any differences -- or lack of differences -- weren't simply due to changes in the type and/or quantity of medications the subjects are on...
..."Where's your link for an insurance company's SPECIFIC refusal to reimburse for Calmare (specifically)???"???...just in case you missed any of the links in a previous post, here's one:
http://blue.regence.com/trgmedpol/medicine/med143.html
..."Disadvantages of Spinal Cord Stimulation"???...who cares?...no doubt the third party reimbursers weighed those into their decision and they STILL decided to pay for it...CTTC, on the other hand, hasn't even reached the point where they can argue any advantage since they have yet to prove it's more effective than a placebo or other TENS device...
..."Look again:"????...well, first, you realize the original post referred to THIS study:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01290224?term=mc-5a&rank=3
...but you're still partly right -- single blinded plus an unidentified "sham"...
...on the other hand, TEN patients?...divided into two groups of FIVE...answering a questionnaire?...and say what:
"Primary Outcome Measures:
Percentage of patients who have at least a 50% reduction (i.e., success) in at least 1 of the first 12 CIPN measurement questions in the pre/post therapy questionnaire [ Time Frame: On days 1 and 2 ]"
...so the primary outcome is 50% reduction on ONE question for the TWO DAYS immediately after therapy?...
...even aside from the fact that the study won't be finished for another YEAR, what kind of measures are those?...feeling half-way better on ONE out of TWELVE CIPN measurement questions counts as a "positive" effect?...I somehow doubt ANYONE will care about those results one way or another...
...and as far as Toby's gig, results probably won't be available for another six months -- at least...and I suggest no one get their hopes up regardless...he's only measuring a "Change in Visual Analog Scale pre/post treatment" and 20 patients in each group is still a very small sample size and unlikely to discern a significant difference between groups...
...MUCH more important, however, is that he's already rendered the study TOTALLY MEANINGLESS because it APPEARS from the description that he's NOT measuring analgesic and other medication use...so even if he finds a reduction in pain, how is anyone to know it's not due to to a change in the medication regimen?...
..."Spinal Cord Stimulators are expensive to the insurance companies..."???...true but at least they DO PAY for them...and why?...because there are RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED studies that support claims of efficacy....
..."it does not change the FACT that they are beginning to reimburse claims."???...does it change the fact that you can't provide ONE LINK to a SINGLE third party reimburser that says they will pay for the therapy?...
..."what I think is key"????...that's nice...but with only 10 patients, no randomization, not blinded, and no control, the third party reimbursers likely won't give it a second thought...
...ewwwwwwww!...I don't like the sound of that:
"Transcutaneous electrostimulation causes protein extravasation in CRPS-I patients but not in control subjects."
...besides:
"There is no evidence that TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is effective in the treatment of CRPS-I."
...on the other hand:
"Pain control with spinal cord stimulation is a responsible choice for carefully selected CRPS-I patients who have not responded to
other treatments."
...too bad CTTC doesn't make spinal cord stimulators, huh?...
...quote is from:
http://pdver.atcomputing.nl/pdf/CRPS_I_Guidelines.pdf