GMW: DISAPPOINTING BIOTECH - British Medical Journal

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GMW: " DISAPPOINTING BIOTECH " - British Medical Journal

" GM WATCH " <info

Tue, 8 Nov 2005 16:24:03 GMT

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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1. " DISAPPOINTING BIOTECH "

2. " RETHINKING EVERYTHING "

 

Despite all the problems with plant biotech, GM proponents continually

invoke the supposed successses of medical biotech. But on close

inspection these " successes " turn out to be something very different.

 

See, for example, DEATHS, ILLNESS, UNEXPLAINED SIDE-EFFECTS: GM INSULIN

at

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5225

 

The following 2 brief excerpts deal respectively with biotech medicines

and gene therapy.

 

What's so fascinating is that despite the disappointing - and in some

cases disastrous - results, the investment money continues to pour in.

 

The summary below (item 1) is taken from a BMJ article that can be read

in full at:

http://www.GEinfo.org.nz/112005/06.html

or if you have a BMJ subscription at:

http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/331/7521/895

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1.DISAPPOINTING BIOTECH

British Medical Journal 331:895-897, October 15, 2005 (UK)

 

We assessed the biotech medicines approved by the European Medicine

Evaluation Agency from 1995 to 2003.

 

Summary points:

 

Only a small proportion are therapeutically innovative.

 

Most new products were variations on existing drugs.

 

Evaluation of these substances was not always based on rigorous

methodological criteria.

 

The promises of good tolerability of biotechnology substances have not

been met - most are no less toxic than conventional drugs.

 

One clear difference between conventional and biotechnology drugs is

cost. Those produced by biotechnology are generally more expensive, and

this deserves evaluation.

 

In conclusion, the promises of biotechnology substances to be more

effective and less toxic than conventional drugs have been only partially

fulfilled. Many of the substances produced so far have contributed

little to innovation in medicine.

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2. " RETHINKING EVERYTHING "

 

Dr Richard Nicholson, editor of The Bulletin of Medical Ethics, has

made this comment on the record of gene therapy to date: " Ten years

ago we

were being told that gene therapy was the greatest

thing since sliced bread. Today its record stands at: Cures: nil.

Deaths: 5. Major adverse effects: at least a thousand. "

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=225

 

There have been more deaths and adverse effects since.

....

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5226

EXCERPT from 'Who's Afraid of Designer Babies?'

BBC TV: Horizon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/babies_trans.shtml

 

French Anderson has been hailed as one of the most remarkable

scientists of our time. He pioneered what claimed to be the biggest

revolution

in modern medicine, treating genetic disease by inserting healthy genes

into patients. It's called gene therapy.

 

ANDERSON: " When Jesse died it just stunned all of us, it just, it just,

we realised that, that we just didn't know enough about what was going

on, that the body had reactions, had defences that we didn't really

understand, and it really required going back and really rethinking

everything we were doing. "

....

QUOTE from Prof Joe Cummins:

 

" In spite of the billions pored into the industry it has never produced

anything that works! Biotech is rather like the invention of a square

wheel, it really does not work!

 

There seems to be a sickening philosophy among the gene therapy

researchers that the death of a few children and injury of others is a

small

price to pay for large grants and high salaries among the elite

researchers. "

 

 

 

 

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