Hi all,

I am a visitor from the Parkinson's forum here on Neurotalk. One of our members was kind enough to inform us about Tercica and how they are blocking the great wonder drug IPLEX due to a so-called patent infringment against the Insmed.

Anyway here is an excerpt from our member Thelma's post that I copied into a petition I've setup to deliver to Tercica in February 2009. I'm hoping to get 10,000 signatures against them, and show that we need this medication and that they are blocking something for a monetary reason rather than allowing something to go through for the good of all.


Negotiated settlement between Insmed Corporation and Tercica(and Tercica's associated licensing companies Genentech and Cephalon) has devastating impact on ALS Patients worldwide. Iplex, (an IGF-1 medication with an IGF-3 binding protein component), produced by Insmed, has been taken off the market. This drug, given by injection once daily, is the first to show benefit for ALS, HIV-Aids, Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy and burn victims. Because of a patent infringement, the settlement winner Tercica, is pulling all Iplex off the market and replacing it with their own inferior product, Increlex, which offers little or no benefit for these patients. Even at an astronomical cost to patients, ( $9500 a month) the demand is great, the supply unavailable. In fact, Tercica is recommending that all remaining supplies be destroyed rather than providing it to those in dire need. The bottom line is money over life-the obvious 21st century mantra for the pharmaceutical industry.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/127840940

Good luck to all here and best regards from the PD forum.

John

A growing group of ALS patients, families and friends are organizing the fight for the right to Iplex. This FDA approved drug is blocked by a patent settlement agreement. Please sign the petition and ask all of your friends and family members to sign this. We are going to take this petition to the media, the corporate executives at Tercica/Ipsen & Genentech/Roche, and to our government officials. Please help us in this battle to obtain Iplex for ALL patients.

thanks... im on it

I have recevied some good information from the ALS mailing list I have joined. There have been some members in with the Italian government, and are using other avenues to find out how to make IPLEX available to everyone else. I'll post a bit of the correspondence from the mailing list when I have a chance.

Good luck to all, and I'm glad my petition has brought this very important issue to the front line. It's time that the people take the greed out of corporate America.

John

Hi everyone,

Here's an interesting update I received from the ALS community at large. One of the petition signees is a stock holder, and this is what he or she has to say.


"7:23 am PDT, Aug 20, Name not displayed, Maryland
In the interest of full disclosure, I am an Insmed stockholder. It should be noted that Insmed has no legal limitations on its ability to market and sell Iplex. They simply choose not to so that they will not have to pay the steep royalties. Insmed and TRCA/Ipsen BOTH need to come to their senses and reach a deal that will allow ALS sufferers to at least try this treatment off-label. "

This is all the more reason to sign the petition and push this to the media and else where to get some coverage on the matter.

John