I'm lucky in that, for now, Copaxone isn't causing me any problems that I am aware of. If it is doing long term hidden damage so be it. I'm taking it with the hope that it will help with some aspect of this miserable disease.

If it doesn't help, oh well, at least I feel as if I tried and in the meantime I do feel good for the most part which is really my goal.

Have I said how much I hate this miserable disease lately?

from delawareonline I found this


The data’s implications may be limited because the study was designed to show a 40 percent risk reduction with interferon treatment, more than the 30 percent shown in trials of the interferon beta therapies or Copaxone, Kappos and Tobias Derfuss, also of University Hospital in Basel, wrote in their editorial.


hmmmm

Well....
That's eight years of my life (on Beta) that I will never get back. The side effects were awful - but I do have to say it stopped the aggressive MRI activity in its tracks......but maybe it would have stopped anyway.

That is what I hate - you can't gauge what nobody will ever know, and that is the same with all of these drugs - A B C R and T.

Lyn

Supposedly the design of the trial was done very well. While we often hear stats from the drug companies stating "reduction in risk", the bottom line in this trial was to compare disease progression level between those who used interferon beta and those who used nothing. And it was here they found no difference!!

But if you read the literature of the companies who produce this drug, you would get a totally different outlook. Ah the importance of marketing and how it can influence people to use something even though it may not give you what was inferred. The CRAB drug producers have been doing this for years and making a ton of money along the way. Too bad most MS patients haven't benefited much if at all.

Gotta remember - making money is what they are all about. Sucks for us, but that is capitalism in a nutshell.

Lyn

Of course they are in business to make money. One wouldn't be in business otherwise!

But if making a lot of money involves bending the truth and knowingly giving your customer false information about your product, then I guess that is the nasty side of capitalism and buyer beware!!

Sadly, seeing opportunity and making money from the misery of vulnerable people has been a staple of capitalism from the dawn of 'civilisation'.

True but, it seems like they came up with a bunch more cures, in the old days? Just saying....

Absolutely true Sal - but cures don't bring in regular income like regular treatments do. Cynical??? Who me????

How true! It gets me, though, that companies such as Biogen publicly state that they have the MS patient's best health intere$t$ in what they do!!!