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spanone

(135,844 posts) Mon Mar 10, 2014, 10:43 PM Mar 2014

Company denies drug to dying child

(CNN) -- In an intensive care unit in Memphis, a virus ravages the body of a 7-year-old who's in heart and kidney failure. He vomits blood several times an hour as his family gathers in vigil.

In a cabinet in Durham, North Carolina, there's a drug that could likely help Josh Hardy, but the drug company won't give it to him. They're adamant that spending the time to help Josh and others like him will slow down their efforts to get this drug on the market.

Helping Josh, they say, means hurting others.

When asked how he will feel if Josh dies -- and he's in critical condition, so sadly that could happen soon -- the president of the company that makes the drug doesn't hesitate to answer.
Josh Hardy is currently in critical condition.
"Horrible," said Kenneth Moch. He would feel horrible and heartbroken.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/10/health/cohen-josh/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

3 replies

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Company denies drug to dying child (Original Post) spanone Mar 2014 OP

No mention of the company. ..odd pipoman Mar 2014 #1

Chimerix. LoveIsNow Mar 2014 #2

My wife has to deal with the FDA doing drug studies and such. reflection Mar 2014 #3

pipoman

(16,038 posts)

1. No mention of the company. ..odd

Reply to spanone (Original post)

Mon Mar 10, 2014, 11:10 PM

Mar 2014

LoveIsNow

(356 posts)

2. Chimerix.

Reply to pipoman (Reply #1)

Mon Mar 10, 2014, 11:15 PM

Mar 2014

It was on page 2.

reflection

(6,286 posts)

3. My wife has to deal with the FDA doing drug studies and such.

Reply to spanone (Original post)

Tue Mar 11, 2014, 10:20 AM

Mar 2014

She says this is a pretty common occurrence, and that with respect to the reporting, the FDA won't separate the clinical trials with the "last-ditch-this-person-is-dying" real-life scenarios. After administering the drug, if Josh were to continue the symptoms he's already exhibiting (vomiting blood, weight loss, etc), it would have to be reported to the FDA and would skew the data which was compiled in people who were not this far along. The FDA could then throw the brakes on the drug due to bastardized data (It kills people and makes them vomit blood!)

She also says it's not uncommon for drug companies, especially small drug companies like this one, to have their fortunes tied to a singular drug, and so yes, there is a profit component in the argument, especially when the drug is still not on the market and the company is upside down on profits and relying largely on investors.

It's just a terrible situation all around, and it's heartbreaking.

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