From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_50 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,52a0bacbcdd2da17 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-08-20 15:45:32 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!cyclone.bc.net!snoopy.risq.qc.ca!nf3.bellglobal.com!wn14feed!worldnet.att.net!204.127.198.203!attbi_feed3!attbi.com!rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: <3F43FA08.7090303@attbi.com> From: "Robert I. Eachus" User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Software Patent Concerns => New Black Markets? References: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.34.139.183 X-Complaints-To: abuse@comcast.net X-Trace: rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net 1061419529 24.34.139.183 (Wed, 20 Aug 2003 22:45:29 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 22:45:29 GMT Organization: Comcast Online Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 22:45:29 GMT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:41752 Date: 2003-08-20T22:45:29+00:00 List-Id: Hyman Rosen wrote: > The FDA saved Americans from the teratogenic effects of thalidomide. > Europeans and canadians weren't as lucky. > > And didn't we just go through a long discussion about the need for > comprehensive upfront testing for the Ariane 5? The thalidomide argument for drug patents is strong, but make sure you understand it. The version of thalidomide submitted in this country had already been through in vitro testing that determined that it was an antagonist for Vitamin A. Therefore the pill that was proposed AND tested in this country contained a slow dissolving vitamin A core. The intent was to replace the destroyed vitamin A after the thalidomide had become active in the bloodstream. In Italy at that time there were no patents on drugs. Several companies got samples of thalidomide made their own versions and marketed them. But, since vitamin A is an oil and not soluable in water, and the form in the thalidomide pills was intended only to become effective when it reached the intestines. So when the Italian drug companies "duplicated" thalidomide, they left out the vitamin A. Then doctors in Italy started recommending it for morning sickness, and tragedy followed. There were no "thalidomide babies" born in the US even among patients in the thalidomide study. But if thalidomide had been approved in the US, I would probably be taking it now (for pain). And every study that has been done shows that thalidomide will significantly reduce the death rate from some forms of cancer. (The pain gets so bad the patient basically stops eating.) For the patients that can be helped by thalidomide, the probability or even possibility of pregancy is very small--or zero. Now I am not one to say that huge advances in medical treatment can't be ruled out. But I doubt I will ever carry a child to term. If I do, and if I am taking thalidomide at the time, I'll be sure to monitor my vitamin A levels. ;-) But until that happens, I would rather be taking thalidomide than inferior substitutes. -- Robert I. Eachus "As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure." -- Jacques Chirac, President of France "As far as France is concerned, you're right." -- Rush Limbaugh