Gina Kolata, writing for this morning's New York Times, has a nicely-nuanced, well-balanced piece out -- on what patients should take away from the failure of Lilly's most recent Alzheimer's drug candidate.
Beyond the direct narrative there lies a meta-narrative, though -- and this line in particular just screamed out to me (see below). It should serve as a warning -- and lighthouse beacon -- in all clinical trials. Do go read the whole article:
. . . .Most patients entering clinical trials believe they are getting a new treatment that may benefit them, Dr. Baruch Brody [director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine] said. Ethicists call that a "therapeutic misconception," he said, adding, "No one should ever assume that in a clinical trial. . . ."
Indeed. Forewarned is forearmed.
No comments:
Post a Comment