[www.cbsnews.com]

(CBS News) Alzheimer's disease cannot be cured but it can be prevented. The government announced Tuesday a $100 million study to test an Alzheimer's prevention drug in just one family. It's potentially a breakthrough because it's hard to test Alzheimer's prevention.

haven't read yet, but how does a study that covers just one family cost $100M???

For as much as I hope to see a cure for many afflictions, the cynic in me thinks that some things may never be erradicated because of how much it would impact the drug companies. As Chris Rock said*, "there is no money in the cure of diseases, there is money in keeping people alive."

*I know that he is just a comedian, but I think that he is right.

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That is NOT true. Drugs that cure are highly sought by drug companies because they make zillions of dollars in the short run - no one cares about the long run...

If there were to be cures for cancer/AIDS/the common cold, industries would collapse.

The "zillions" would not be made any more.

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Considering they're still arguing about whether plaque buildup is a cause or symptom, I remain skeptical.

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john dough
If there were to be cures for cancer/AIDS/the common cold, industries would collapse.

The "zillions" would not be made any more.

Industries collapse all the time, but a blockbuster product like a cure for the common cold NEVER comes around. Whoever sells that would become rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams.... and then the market would collapse, but by then the producer has cashed in the last of the stock options and have secured his family's next 100 generations of wealth...

if you REALLY believe in the conspiracy... well, then, there's nothing that I can say that will change your mind...

And there is a carburetor that gets over 200mpg, but years and years ago the Government and Big Oil prevented it from ever getting to market.

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And hope is a lousy defense.

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except by believing all possible evil
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Pixels were born to be punished. -Frederick Van Johnson

Mister, that's a ten-gallon hat on a twenty-gallon head.

I *love* Sigs. It's Glocks I hate.

I keep seeing headlines that they are studying substance(s) that dissolve the plaques.

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hal
Industries collapse all the time, but a blockbuster product like a cure for the common cold NEVER comes around. Whoever sells that would become rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams.... and then the market would collapse, but by then the producer has cashed in the last of the stock options and have secured his family's next 100 generations of wealth...

if you REALLY believe in the conspiracy... well, then, there's nothing that I can say that will change your mind...

I am not talking conspiracy, I am talking pure economics. 100 years of making cold medicine is making the drug industry a LOT of money, year in year out. A cure would make a even a larger pile of money in the short term but only for a few people, and the cash cow would die.

Who really knows what is really happening in drug laboratories, so all some people can do is guess; I, for one, agree with what Chris Rock said, that selling drugs makes more money, LOTS more, than companies finding a cure and ending the supply stream.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2012 09:28PM by john dough.

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RAMd®d
And there is a carburetor that gets over 200mpg, but years and years ago the Government and Big Oil prevented it from ever getting to market.

And the Amero. Don't forget the Amero.

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Ten years ago I heard about people getting IV HDL cholesterol (or something similar) for two weeks with very positive results. I still hear about it from time to time. Seems though that nothing comes of it.

Minoxidil is a solvent that could be bought relatively cheaply in 55 gallon drums. Once discovered that it would grow hair you needed a prescription to buy it (Rogaine) and it cost a pretty penny, lots of profit for some drug company.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

>but how does a study that covers just one family cost $100M???

C'mon! It's our government!

I don't remember receiving the medicine or the money . . .

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Black

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RAMd®d
And there is a carburetor that gets over 200mpg, but years and years ago the Government and Big Oil prevented it from ever getting to market.

And the Amero. Don't forget the Amero.

does this have to do with the chupacabra?

Anybody want any data?

That "family" is actually a 5,000 person clan of genetically related people. They all get Alzheimer's by their mid-50's, at the latest. This is the test of a new drug targeted at a specific gene, IIRC. So we're talking about the identification of the gene, the development of the drug, etc.

So let's have a bit less heat, and a bit more light, hmmm?

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anonymouse1
Anybody want any data?

That "family" is actually a 5,000 person clan of genetically related people. They all get Alzheimer's by their mid-50's, at the latest. This is the test of a new drug targeted at a specific gene, IIRC. So we're talking about the identification of the gene, the development of the drug, etc.

So let's have a bit less heat, and a bit more light, hmmm?

Thank you for showing us the light . . . Standing O kinda . . .

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“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"The quality of Congress is not strained. It droppeth like a fetid cow patty from a bovine cloaca." cbelt
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy

Quote
anonymouse1
Anybody want any data?

That "family" is actually a 5,000 person clan of genetically related people. They all get Alzheimer's by their mid-50's, at the latest. This is the test of a new drug targeted at a specific gene, IIRC. So we're talking about the identification of the gene, the development of the drug, etc.

So let's have a bit less heat, and a bit more light, hmmm?

Thanks. In addition, it's worth noting that "prevention" is not necessarily the same as "cure." If the drug works for this family, it is very likely that they would need to take it for the rest of their lives in order to suppress their genetic susceptibility. A one time dose would not be enough to cure.

Similarly, once ordinary people start on the path toward this disease, they would likely also need to take the drug constantly to prevent further progression. If this drug in indeed effective, it would be a big money maker. In fact, many people would likely take the drug as a preventative who did NOT actually need it, at least until the disease is better understood.

This study is an important step in the elucidation of the underlying process of the disease, and studying people with familial susceptibility is a classic approach. It would be necessary to study many people over an extended period of time, since the Alzheimer's process probably takes many years to produce symptoms.

Janit has a point, and I'd add to that (from what I know of AD)-- even if the plaques are a symptom rather than a cause, interfering with their formation is liable to be a Good Thing. Sometimes the symptoms can themselves act as causes, or interact in some way with the real cause. Plaque formation is seen in other diseases too, so it's also potentially more generally applicable. [en.wikipedia.org]

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