While the number of incident ALS cases is small, it's more than enough for a targeted clinical trial if you had good biomarkers or a clear causal hypothesis. We've gotten quite good at these rare disease studies and drug development there. The problem is rather that for a disease modifying therapeutic with an effect that is only measurable statistically, like your old cardiovascular examples, you don't have enough N....
how - and why - could this be a 'dark consequence of capitalism'....? are socialist and communist economies doing a superior job of either addressing, investing in or curing such diseases...? or - pun intended - is this some sort of 'cheap shot'....?
It isn't profitable for drug companies due to the "minor" number of those affected by the condition and the short life expectancy for most. If senior members of government, the medical community, and drug company executives were to experience its impact, perhaps there would be compassion and actual focus on its treatment. Added that the largest group affected are veterans and the three elements earlier listed also don't give a f*ck about them either.
While the number of incident ALS cases is small, it's more than enough for a targeted clinical trial if you had good biomarkers or a clear causal hypothesis. We've gotten quite good at these rare disease studies and drug development there. The problem is rather that for a disease modifying therapeutic with an effect that is only measurable statistically, like your old cardiovascular examples, you don't have enough N....
how - and why - could this be a 'dark consequence of capitalism'....? are socialist and communist economies doing a superior job of either addressing, investing in or curing such diseases...? or - pun intended - is this some sort of 'cheap shot'....?
Wow.
"It is perhaps only through productive disagreement that we might break free from the insidious, multiscale pressure of optimization." amen!
It isn't profitable for drug companies due to the "minor" number of those affected by the condition and the short life expectancy for most. If senior members of government, the medical community, and drug company executives were to experience its impact, perhaps there would be compassion and actual focus on its treatment. Added that the largest group affected are veterans and the three elements earlier listed also don't give a f*ck about them either.