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Biotech / Medical : IDPH--Positive preliminary results for pivotal trial of ID -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: A.J. Mullen who wrote (1526)	4/9/1998 9:29:00 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 1762

Hello AJ! I suspect that the clinical judgement of the risk of using Rituxan as a supplementary treatment includes a fear that stepping out of the norm would leave a doctor vulnerable to damages claims for malpractice. Unfortunately, the consequence of that is that doctors would prefer to be unadventurous in their treatment of people. Quite sensibly. Because of the cautious approach to new developments, many people will suffer due to the treatment not being recommended. The FDA is speeding things up in recognition of the problem their protective mechanisms cause. What many people don't understand in many spheres is that the attempt to improve safety inadvertently costs lives. Air Crash Fire Tenders for example are not worth their cost. But in the early aviation days were essential. Planes crashed with monotonous regularity. The money diverted into medical care, health monitoring or education would save more lives. But because the link is remote, it is hard for people to see. Similarly for loss of life due to conservative, cautious, safety and efficacy requirements. "Better dead than Red" used to be the political saying. Better dead than treated with something which might carry a health risk is the FDA/Health cartel mantra. There seems to be a case for adults to be able to decide for themselves whether a treatment is appropriate or not for themselves. Using Medical Assocation practitioners for advice if they choose. Maurice Easter Friday today - which remembers some guy who defied the central authority of an authoritarian state. His theme was individualism, but with equality and co-operation. That's how I like it to be anyway. So they nailed him to a cross. Much the same state authority over individuals is in use today, though they are [in most countries] less cruel in their treatment of opponents to state authority over free individuals. [Which I should hasten to add, should not include the freedom to have Armalites, hand grenades, pistols, tanks or tactical nuclear warheads]