Results from a Phase II clinical trial presented at a medical meeting suggest that the drug Erbitux may be useful for treating a type of breast cancer that does not respond to hormone therapy or other targeted treatments. The fact that these data were presented at a medical meeting suggests that the results have not been published in a journal and therefore, have not undergone a rigourous review process. Additionally, a Phase II trial only enrolls a small number of participants to evaluate the efficacy and safey of a treatment before initiating a more robust Phase III trial. Unfortunately, the story did not report any of the safety data.
Although triple negative breast cancer is very difficult to treat, this drug does not seem all that impressive. Erbitux does not seem to be effective in lung or bowel cancer. Is this a drug searching for another cancer market?
According to the story, sales for this drug were $1.7 billion last year; however, we don’t know how much an individual person can expect to pay – information it would have been easy for Reuters to find and to include in the story.
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
I miss @HealthNewsRevu popping up in my feed. Loved seeing this one today.
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2021/06/zombie-health-care-news/
#healthcare #journalism #ethics #conflictofinterest
Puleeeeease... this 'game changer' weight loss drug causes more nausea and vomiting than a placebo. Some game, some change. My friend Gary would spank you for using the eighth word medical reporters should never, ever use. @garyschwitzer @thackerpd
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/toolkit/just-journalists-writing-tips-case-studies/7-words-and-more-you-shouldnt-use-in-medical-news/ https://twitter.com/OttawaCitizen/status/1361426796126830597
A scary @statnews Op-Ed warns that govt attempts to rein in Pharma may cut off access to "life-changing" drugs.
It takes @garyschwitzer to let us know: the author spent 10 years as Pfizer's public-policy chief. https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer/status/1360325022578053123
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