Updated February 8, 2007
Imagine for a moment that you've been diagnosed with cancer. It's a reality that 15 million Americans are struggling with and it's the second leading cause of death in this country, leaving over half-a-million families each and every year without mothers, fathers and children. But there is some good news: a Canadian research team has come up with something called "DCA" -- a drug they believe might be able to kill almost all forms of cancers.
Sounds great, right? Well the Real Story is that you can't have it yet because there's no money to be made on it.
You and I both know there is normally big money at stake when pharmaceutical companies develop new, life-saving drugs. But that gravy train doesn't last for long. After investing millions of dollars into the research and development of a new drug, companies only have a few years to make it all back --plus a profit-- before their patent expires and competing companies can make a "generic" form of the same drug.
Which brings us back to this Canadian team and DCA. Working out of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, scientists tested DCA on human cells cultured outside the body and found that it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells, but not healthy cells. That's revolutionary...bordering on a miracle. Tumors in lab rats that were deliberately infected with human cancer also shrank drastically when they were given DACE.
So what's the problem? Since DCA has no patent, it can be made "generically" from day-one and no exclusivity equals no value. You know I'm the biggest capitalist around, but every once in a while, maybe capitalism needs to be reminded about the value of human life.
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