NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[photonic5]

Doctors are frequently in the trenches battling diseases and illnesses, especially in private practice. They spend far more of their time these days dealing with insurance companies, reimbursement issues, and administrative political issues than the time they get to actually research new treatment technologies. This is especially true with DCVax, because it crosses multiple subspecialties. SOC for GBM involves surgery, medical oncology, and radiation oncology. Because DCVax isn’t a chemo drug, it’s not clear who would manage administration. Most likely medical oncology or an immunologist. That issue is possibly inherent to why few doctors are pushing for this therapy. No specialty would clearly benefit from the reimbursement for DCVax therapy. There are no side effects for a medical oncologist to manage and be reimbursed for. Radiation oncologists normally don’t manage medications, just radiation. Neurosurgeons manage surgery, not immune function. Who would treat with DCVax? Primary care physicians give vaccines. They could probably handle it, but that cuts out a ton of sub-specialty revenue. My guess is that many oncologists would not welcome this therapy with open arms, as it doesn’t benefit the business of oncology.

That’s, unfortunately, a hard truth of the world we live in. Many doctors are also business people (medicine is a service industry) and there isn’t much service needed in a vaccine that could cure cancer with no side effects. It’s easy to understand any oncologist’s ignorance on the subject.