Patient-led drug trials defy medical establishment


Associated Press - November 26, 2008 11:24 PM ET

CLAREMONT, Calif. (AP) - Dozens of patients suffering from the fatal neurological disorder known as Lou Gehrig's disease are taking matters into their own hands.

Instead of relying on the slow pace of medical research, they are testing treatments on their own and using the Web to share their results.

On PatientsLikeMe.com, people share detailed information about their symptoms and the drugs they are taking. The site focuses on conditions that have stubbornly resisted medical science, such as Lou Gehrig's disease and Parkinson's.

The site's founders hope professional and amateur researchers will dip into the resulting pool of data and emerge with insights that lead to better treatments.

But not everyone's jumping on board. Some doctors warn that patient-led research lacks rigor and may lead to unreliable results, false hopes and even harm.

http://www.patientslikeme.com

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