Hi, Pat -
There are many who can answer your questions in more depth than I, but if you don't mind, I'll make a start.
The debate around DMSO currently centers on 3 areas of usage:
1 - Its use as a delivery agent in Pennsaid, and other recently surfacing products.
2 - Its use as a therapeutic agent by Dr. Jacobs
3 - Its use as a delivery agent in over-the-counter (OTC) non-prescription, unpatented remedies.
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WRT (1):
"...Just what has Dimethaid done to make its use of DMSO into a patented product?"
- Pennsaid is patented. My recollection is (please don't rely on this) that the patent will expire in 2-3 years, but there is the possibility of extending the patent for the period of submission. In addition, there are ways to "tweak" the product to extend the useful life of the patent.
I suggest you do a search on this thread; I know others have posted on the matter. This is simply my recollection.
- Pennsaid (in my understanding only) is a means to an end. While it is a legitimate and useful product, its purpose is to subsidize WF10: to finance the process of bringing WF10 to market.
- The actual process of using DMSO as a delivery agent is unpatentable: it arises out of the nature of DMSO itself. Trying to patent that process is analogous to trying to patent the cleaning mechanism obtained when using water and soap.
- There appear to be a number of new products arriving that will use DMSO to deliver whatever agent, as prescription drugs. Some have sought to portray this as a negative. While it's true that it's always better to have a "lock" on the narket, the existence of several competitors is not necessarily a disaster.
For example, there are many kinds of painkillers. Much depends on -
(a) The effectiveness of marketing
(b) Efficacy of the product
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WRT (2+3) - "Why wouldn't the inherent qualities of DMSO be transferred to Pennsaid?"
I think we are considering 2 different animals here. The properties that Dr. Jacobs found useful in the treatment of scleroderma are not sufficient to claim a more generalized usefulness for DMSO. In other words, use of DMSO in scleroderma was a highly specific therapy: at present, there is no reason to suspect that DMSO has a huge and untapped market, in and of itself.
However, you have probably noted the claims in OTC advertisements that DMSO has benefits, itself. IMO, there ARE benefits, but some of these statements are questionable.
Can you, at home, combine DMSO with something else, and obtain relief, as with Fungoff?
Answer: Yes
Does DMSO have beneficial properties beyond its use by Dr. Jacobs?
Answer: Yes.
home.sprynet.com
bcn.net
medical-library.net
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- "Wouldn't long term use of Pennsaid be beneficial to the condition beyond being a pain killer?"
Perhaps, but that is not the focus of DMX's efforts. DMSO is simply being used as a carrier for another agent in a prescribed therapeutic.
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Finally,
- "How much DMSO is in a bottle of Pennsaid?"
Don't know, but it should be fairly easy to figure out. I'm certain Mark (and many others) could give you a good answer.
HTH,
Jim |
