Allies Voice: President Bush...about this healthcare crisis
This video was submitted to ABC News Talkback. It applies to the Medicare/healthcare crisis and how we will pay for it.
In light of common and costly conditions like blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes - and the fact that the federal and state budgets are pinched - will the government start mandating more aggressive steps in generic drug availability?
One might dismiss the question as rhetorical - but that would be a grave mistake. I hope President Bush has the opportunity to get his ducks in a row before the State of the Union Address. This situation is certainly one of the nation's dubious quagmires.
Then again - it's not as though I'm breaking news here...just asking a question that heavily impacts the health and economy of our nation, as well as the world.
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- $174 Billion: U.S. Devastated by the Diabetes Bill
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Yeah it's Time fer Walmart to Run the Pharmacy!
U would think that Lipitor + Ramipril + Insulin + Diabetic Blood Testing Strips would be Priced as Low as the Law but....
I do understand Pharmaceutical Giants needing Patents on Drugs they've Invested heavily in Research + Development to bring to Market (for the Good of all Mankind - is anybody over 35 Not on Lipitor??) but there may be a little too much Gravy + Fat $$$ flowing their way*
Have a Super Friday + Weekend Everybody!
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I just an interesting talk by Sirtris CEO on the potential for their New Diabetes Drug*
http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2008/01/09/sirtris-diabetes-drug-safe-but-is-it-effective.aspx
It's Interesting to See how the Pharmaceutical $$$ Money Game is Played*
Sirtris' Diabetes Drug: Safe, but Is It Effective?
By Brian Orelli January 9, 2008
There's nothing like a little talk of a fountain of youth to get investors excited about a developmental-stage drug company, but Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SIRT) CEO Christoph Westphal stayed on topic at this year's JPMorgan Health Care Conference, which featured the company's diabetes program.
The company's lead compound, SRT501, is a reformulation of resveratrol, which is found in red wine. The compound activates a protein which is also activated by dieting and exercise and is expected to stabilize glucose levels -- thus the connection to diabetes.
In connection with the conference, Sirtris released data for its once-a-day phase 1b trial. There were no safety issues, and there was even a hint that the drug might be working. Since phase 1 trials are small -- and primarily focused on safety -- a hint was about the best the company could hope for.
Sirtris will be releasing safety data from a twice-a-day trial in the first half of the year, but the first real hint of whether the drug works will come in the form of phase 2a data set to be released in the second half of the year. In that study, the drug will be tested in combination with the standard of care, metformin, the generic form of Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY) Glucophage. Being an oral compound, SRT501 could compete well against other metformin add-on therapies like Amylin Pharmaceuticals' (Nasdaq: AMLN) BYETTA, which has to be injected.
The good news for Sirtris is that even if SRT501 doesn't prove effective in phase 2 trials, the company has backup compounds available that are more potent in the laboratory. In mice, one of the compounds looks at least as good as Merck's (NYSE: MRK) Januvia.
I'm a little more excited about Sirtris than I was the last time I wrote about it. The stock price has come down and we've got more information about the potential for its lead drug, but investors should remember that there's still plenty of time to jump in. With no phase 2 data in yet, Sirtris is still a risky investment.
More glucose-controlling Foolishness:
* Follow the Trend With Novo Nordisk
* Novartis' Diabetes Battle Can Begin
* Phase 2 Data to Sink Your Teeth Into
* Analyzing Amylin
They must think we're Fools!!
Oh Lordy*
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They don't look anything like a glass of Merlot, but these pills activate the same gene as a beneficial compound found in red wine. The pill is designed to treat diabetes, but researchers have zeroed in on the gene as a key to controlling aging.
"This is not science fiction anymore," said Christoph Westphal of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. "We are actually talking about real drug candidates in human studies targeting diseases of aging by targeting the genes that control the aging process."
Previous research in animals showed that genes activated by special calorie- restricted diets extend lifespan by improving metabolism. So researchers at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals looked for molecules that can activate these genes.
Their first candidate is an enhanced version of the red wine compound resveratrol. They showed it can control diabetes in animals and are now testing it in people with diabetes.
As they wrote in the journal "Nature," they've now discovered other molecules that, in animal tests are a thousand times more potent.
"So these are the kind of things that you could imagine taking one small pill once a day," said Westphal.
The Sirtris CEO says they're focusing on one disease of aging, diabetes, because the FDA doesn't class aging itself as a disease.
"Sirtris is focused on developing drugs that would be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. We're very focused initially on developing drugs to treat diabetes," Westphal said.
But since these genes have also been shown to stop other diseases of aging, like cancer and Alzheimer's, Westphal says the company is well aware of the possibilities.
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Sirtris Pharmaceuticals CEO Presents Keynote Address at the Charite Hospital Berlin, Europe's Leading University Hospital
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs to treat diseases of aging such as Type 2 Diabetes, announced today that Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chair Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D. will give the keynote address at the annual Charite Hospital/University of Berlin scientific symposium. The talk will be on Tuesday, January 22 at 5:00 pm GMT.
"It was an honor to be invited by Professor Detlev Ganten, CEO of the Charite Medical School, to present at their annual scientific symposium," said Westphal. "The Charite is one of the most famous hospitals in Continental Europe and is surrounded by extremely talented scientists. My talk will focus on developing new therapies from academic discoveries, with particular emphasis on creating drugs that target the sirtuins, genes associated with aging."
"Christoph has demonstrated visionary leadership and a proven ability to take cutting-edge research from academic medical centers into the biotech sector, first with Alnylam and RNA interference where key discoveries were made in Germany, and now with Sirtris regarding diseases of aging," said Professor and Charite Chief Executive Officer Detlev Ganten.
The annual Charite symposium is attended by more than 500 scientists, doctors, and politicians, including the leadership of the biomedical sector in Germany. Speaking at this year's event are Dr. Ganten, Senator Juergen Zoellner, and Dr. Westphal. The event is hosted by Johanna Quandt and the Quandt family, owners of BMW and longtime lead supporters of the Charite Hospital.
The Charite was recently ranked the top university medical school in Germany, as well as the top German medical school in impact and grant money. It has an annual budget of $1.5 billion USD. The medical school has been home to eight Nobel Laureates, including Robert Koch, Otto Warburg, and Rudolf Virchow, as well as many of the leading biomedical scientists in Germany.
About Sirtris Pharmaceuticals
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Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing proprietary, orally available, small molecule drugs with the potential to treat diseases associated with aging, including metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes. Our drug candidates are designed to mimic certain beneficial health effects of calorie restriction, without requiring a change in eating habits, by activation of sirtuins, a recently discovered class of enzymes that control the aging process. The company's headquarters are in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the potential therapeutic effects of SIRT1 activators for diseases o
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I'm not trying to Compete with Nick Dynes Gracey but it was just interesting to see How the Whole Game is Played*
Houston Chronicle, United States - 11 Jan 2008
2008 AP NEW YORK — The president and chief executive of biopharmaceutical company Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. sold 40000 shares of common stock under a ...
AND OF COURSE MY PERSONAL FAVE! it won't be Available for another 5 YEARS!!
Ya Gotta Love it!!
Sirtris hopes for FDA OK in '12 for diabetes drug
January 10, 2008
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. hopes to bring its first drug to market in 2012 or 2013, said chief executive Christoph Westphal. This week, Sirtris released results from an early clinical trial that found patients with Type 2 diabetes who took the drug, called SRT501, showed improvement after 28 days. The treatment is a concentrated form of resveratrol, a substance found in red wine that is believed to stimulate a gene that slows the effects of aging. Despite the positive results, Westphal cautioned that the drug must be tested in several larger and longer clinical trials over the next few years before it can win approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
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Generic Drugs DO NOT have the same quality control methods that are used as far as ingredients(raw materials) are concerned, in addition to the bioavailability of the product and manufacturing processes.
Many of the raw materials that Generic manufacturers obtain are in countries such as India and China who have already been cited as places where there are excessive amounts of contaminants and other toxins such as Mercury, Arsenic and Lead.
The bottom line for BOTH Generic and Big Pharma is how to make the product as cheap as possible without too much concern as to where it is coming from(Generics) so as to make a very high profit return for its Investors. This applies again to both Generic Companies and major Pharmaceuticles.
Safety as an issue is secondary.
In addition the FDA requires MORE stringent reviews and protocols for brand name Pharmaceuticles than for generics which have more leeway for approval.
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"FDA requires MORE stringent reviews and protocols for brand name Pharmaceuticles than for generics. . ." Not necessarily true. For example, Lilly does not (and cannot) prove that rDNA human insulin is identical from batch to batch . . . and fortunately (for them) they don't have to since batch testing is no longer required.
As we see the branded/generics argument heat up . . . remember to be just a bit suspicious when the pot is allowed to call the kettle black.
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"Since batch testing is no longer required." The pot is allowed to call the kettle black, because it is.
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