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ikke

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Learn about ALS
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Together we stand tall.

Mail text below to Knopp, biogen (every office worlwide), family and friends

evererybody send those mails, because most off pals cant wait 3 years till it's for sale.

Compassionate Use Drug Availability for ALS Patients
Time to wade into the water on a controversial topic, Compassionate Use Drug authorization for ALS Patients.

This topic has been discussed extensively for some time on the message boards and social media sites. Terminally ill patients with little to lose want access to whatever is available that has shown safety and efficacy and potential upside as soon as possible. Every day and minute counts.

Most clinical trials run 12-15 years from conception to shelf. Only one drug is approved for ALS treatment today and is marginally effective. All the new announcements of discoveries we see today will ultimately yield some hypothesis in labs. A few of those will begin that 12-15 years cycle at some point noted above and the cycle continues. Some promising drugs may already be in that 12-15 year pipeline at a middle or even latter stage and the cycle continues.

On the one hand you have pALS that are ineligible for these studies. Diagnosis more than 2-3 years prior, Functional Ratings Scale not at a certain point, or Respiratory Readings below the required reading are common disqualifiers.

On other hand you have pALS that are qualified to participate in Clinical Trials. All of them are double blind placebo based, the longtime industry standard. By definition, only half of the patients actually receive the drug that do participate. The Phase 2 or 3 study finishes recruitment and runs the required 12-18 months AFTER the LAST patient is enrolled. They then usually need 6-12 months to interpret the data and at least another year to get FDA approval and something potentially to shelf. Total elapsed time estimated from start to finish for this portion is 2-5 years. (Does 2-5 years ring a bell with anyone here?).

You get the picture. It's no wonder that ANYTHING currently showing promise stirs up interest in the pALS community for Compassionate Use.

Dexpramipexole (KNS-760704) is now 14+ years from the time the drug was discovered as a theoretical treatment. As is common with many other biotechs and pharmas, current owner Biogen Idec entered the process on this particular drug only recently.

The recent ALS TDI conference was extremely informative and featured some industry insiders discussing the state of ALS Research from a business perspective. It was very topical and George Scangros (CEO of Biogen Idec) was one of the participants. During the Q&A, a caregiver speaking on behalf of a pALS who could not speak, ask a key question to Mr. Scangros. He stated that he was ineligible for the DexPra Clinical Trial currently being conducted. "Was there a way to obtain compassionate use availability of the DexPra Drug for pALS outside the trial?," he asked. George said that they had considered it. But...Biogen felt the best way to get to a final decision on whether they could move the drug forward to the FDA was to focus all their resources toward the 800 current enrollees and the 400 additional pALS they are now enrolling." BOOM. No follow up question from the audience. Only a vague timeline of 12 months from now they will have the last patients full readings, then another 6-12 months to interpret the data, then another year or so to get FDA approval. This poor guy, and any of the rest of us pALS listening basically were told TOUGH LUCK FOR AT LEAST 2-5 YEARS (2-5 Years ring a bell?).

I am not naive. George runs a large biotech company that answers to shareholders. Biogen is a $4 Billion Fortune 500 company that threw off over $1 Billion in Net Income in 2010. They have stated they are committed to ALS Research. God knows we need more profitable companies like this supporting finding treatments and a potential cure. The capitalistic nature of drug development absolutely motivated these guys to make this investment after Knopp's trials showed promise. Biogen wants to bring this to market on a broadscale level to maximize their Return on Investment. I GET THAT.

Biogen's website states "To our partners and investors, we are a profitable company with a rich and diverse pipeline. We have the resources, financial strength and vision to successfully discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize new products. And to our friends, neighbors and the world at large, we are a responsible corporate citizen with robust programs that make our communities better places to live and work and address critical issues like diversity and sustainability. Biogen Idec is all these companies. We are dedicated to serving all our constituents, because Biogen Idec is in business to make a difference for all those we serve. Addressing patient needs is our core responsibility and defines our corporate citizenship. We updated our Code of Business Conduct to include additional guidance on critical issues, such as workplace health, responsible marketing and ethics in clinical research."

It's a common misperception in the ALS community that the FDA decides who gets compassionate use exceptions in totality. That is only part true. The first thing that needs to occur is the drug company has to APPLY. I would like to ask Biogen to review the statements italicized above and call for them to at least APPLY. Apply to the FDA for a compassionate use exception for pALS like my friend in the room at the ALS TDI conference that could not speak for himself. The data they have espoused over the past year to gain pALS, Investor and Industry support states this a safe, promising and potentially effective treatment option for pALS in the offing. While I am sure it would cost them some money to provide the drug to the pALS on a Compassionate Use level, it would in no way jeopardize their ability to complete the clinical trials and move through the required process.

In the near term, there are other hopefully effective treatments in the pipeline that pALS should encourage to do the same. To my knowledge Cephalon, with the drug Myotrophin (IGF-1), was about the only company in the past (over 15 years ago) that I am aware of that has even bothered to apply for a compassionate use exception with the FDA. These companies all walk a tightrope on bringing tomorrow's promise to patients today, ahead of the established curve. I GET THAT. BUT WE PATIENTS HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE AND TIME IS OUR ENEMY. Many of them, like Cephalon, are companies with shoestring budgets that are barely holding on to be able to run the existing trials in process. Money will almost certainly play a big role in their ability to offer Compassionate Use in the future. If they go out of business, it will not matter how promising the drug unless someone else acquires or invest in them. That's an unfortunate reality within the system today.

The system also continually asks pALS to participate in Clinical trials today that have almost zero probability to help us as individuals. But we do it to help others because it's the right thing to do.

Biogen is different from almost all the other companies noted above because they have the ability to help patients now. They have the money ($1 Billion in Net Income last year alone) and resources to step up and provide compassionate use of the drug today. If we are to believe all the hype, and the investors are to believe all the hype, then this is a no brainer. BIOGEN PLEASE STEP UP AND APPLY FOR COMPASSIONATE USE FOR DEXPRAMIPEXOLE TODAY.

BE A RESPONSIBLE CORPORATE CITIZEN. MAKE A DIFFERENCE. ADDRESS PATIENT NEEDS. SHOW ETHICS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH. ITS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
 
ikke,

Who is the original author of this text that you are asking us to cut and paste? Additionally, what evidence is there that the drug in question has any positive effects for PALS? And what type of positive effects are they?
 
Thanks for posting the link. The original author deserves credit for his work.
 
Investigational new drugs (INDs) can only be approved by the FDA for expanded treatment protocols (over 100 patients) only after efficacy and safety have been reasonably proven with a phase 3 trial. Intermediate size (less than 100 patients) patient population studies require at least preliminary evidence of efficacy. IND use for individual patients require institutional review board approval and a physician statement that the risk of the disease is worse than the risk of treatment. All of these processes are in place to protect us. Without proof of efficacy, why do we want it?
 
This drug works people , believe me and start sending those emails.

Most of us cant wait 3 years until its for sale.
 
Please tell me why you believe this.
 
I am sitting in an airport, but I just read an interesting article in a neurology magazine, about why companies should Not give compassionate supply of an unproven drug. I am sure it mentioned ALS. I wish I had taken more notice of what it said. When I get back home, I will pull it out and see what it has to say, and what it bases it's conclusions on.

I work in clinical trials and it does not sit comfortably on my shoulders, giving an unproven drug compassionately until the stats are in, however ALS is a very unique situation, with many having nothing to lose. It also would depend on the safety studies and whether or not any dangerous side effects were found.

This is Very interesting.

Isn't pramipexole available?
 
awaxru,

In my clinick I sat next to a woman who is on dex trial for 4 month now and she said to me that since she is on dex trial her condition has been stabil , and her arms improved (more strengt).
 
ikke,

I appreciate your enthusiasm but please don't spread false information here. An anecdote from one person who is either receiving the real drug or the placebo is insignificant evidence and you must know it.

-Tom
 
tom,

This is no false information, why would she lie about it, she has ALS.

Ikke,
 
tom,

This is no false information, why would she lie about it, she has ALS.

Ikke,

ikke,

It's unproven information. The patient that you spoke with doesn't know for certain that she is receiving the drug -- she only thinks that she is because she's feeling better. She won't know for sure until after the trial is completed. Even her ALS clinic doesn't know for sure which of their patients are getting the drug and which ones are receiving the placebo. In fact, she is probably violating the agreement that she signed before beginning the trial by talking about it.

Don't be so gullible. If a person can't keep their mouth shut when they've agreed to do so, why would you trust anything they say?
 
trfgev,

and the people on the website 'patiens like us'.

there are maybe 30 patiens talking about dex trial,are they all violating the agreement ( go the site and, lots of positive about the dex trail.

ikki,
 
Ikki, I'm in the Dex trial and though I "think" I have the real thing, and my progression is slow – how do I know its what is working for me until ALL the data is in, and they crunch whatever numbers they have to crunch to see the whole picture. I could tell you that I think it's working, but I would be lying if I attributed 100% to the Dex... maybe its because I had very slow progression to begin with... maybe I do have a placebo. And maybe my liver is going to go bonkers with the dose and I'll keel over from that. Just because there seems to be very few side effects with a certain dose, it doesn't mean that over time it won't make it worse.

To be completely honest with you, though I do think I have the real thing, I also know that I've progressed... still slow, but still progressing. This is just one drug of many that have potential, but potential doesn't always pan out. Let's let the drug co.'s that are running this trial do it the right way so this drug can get APPROVED and we can then all pay through the nose for it (like Rilutek).

BTW, I just heard, and not sure if it's true or not... that "patients like me" sells their info to insurance companies, so don't use your real names to be on the safe side.

Helen
 
There were several PALS three years ago who took Lithium and reported improved strength. Does that mean lithium works?
 
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