Posted by Dennis on May 30, 2002 at 10:28:35:
In Reply to: Re: Side effects posted by Ellen on May 30, 2002 at 06:03:27:
Of course side effects must be considered.
The point is that as the 'national' advocate for America's hunt for a cure for diabetes, the Leader of the ADA should show support and encouragment to any effort to search for a cure - perhaps a little excitement or promise of financial support.
Instead he chooses to point out just how unlikely this cure is to work, the small size of the sample, and the side effects - pretty much everything opposite any pharmaceutical industry rep would do in the process to get one of their drug candidates approved or funded. Saudek shows his position by what he says and what he doesn't say in these articles. If this guy's interests were truly for a cure for diabetes, we'd be hearing alot more about what's right about cure research, rather than what's wrong with it.
His comments sound like those from ADA participants at scientific meetings discussing immunosuppression for the Edmonton protocol, one of which was actually chastised for being overly negative regarding immunosuppressives vs the benefit of endogenous insulin production.
Let's face it the ADA's track record regarding cure research is undefensible.
If John Wooden of UCLA basketball fame, or Earnest Shackleton, the legendary explorer, had such a negative attitude, niether of their teams would have ever won a national championship or made it home alive, respectively.