Biotech Values

[bobrmd]

If you think that pfs for gemzar is significant then you cant see the forrest through the trees. The fda may approve satraplatin for a 10 day increasse in median survival. Gemzar failed in the adjuvant trials. PFS just means that some patients prohressed earlier in the control arm. They didnt live longer and with the side effects of gemzar yous have a hard time convincing me that it is of any great benefit. and it is expensive.

I treat these patients and I wish we had something better. These drugs are approved primarily as a compassionate gesture on the part of the fda (i use the word compassion loosely here) after some meaningless endpoint is met.

Two wrongs dont make a right and provenge does have stat problems but it is hard to ignore overall survival. The fda should cut dendreon some slack because if it really does improve survival by 23% that would be remarkable abd a shame that patients are now deprived of that chance.