A Genetech rep for questions?

[Fontaine]

I ask because I went to a colloquia for school (like a conference for doctoral students because we're an online school so it's the only way we get together--very well done and impressive). In any event, but total chance, the woman I sat down (another doctoral student in business I believe) next to at the first night's seminar just happened to work for Genetech! She was thrilled to be sitting next to a Herceptin patient.

When I read through many of these questions--including my own about the function of the HER-2 gene throughout the body, it occurs to me that we really need to have a Genetech expert (probably a PhD or MD researcher) who shows up fairly regularly to answer more factual types of questions.

Has anyone approached them? If not, I can contact my classmate about it. I think she's in PR or something like that and I know she'd be willing to help. It would be great PR for them to do something like that--assuming they don't have a totally paranoid legal department.

Anyone know anything about this? So many worries could be put to rest with some reliable information. Seems like very much of a win-win to me.

[Lisa]

Joe and Christine have a very close relationship with Genentech. Not a bad idea, but we have tried "guest speakers." With our software at the time, it didn't work out great.


Don't you just love "coincedences" like the one you had! I call them Trail Markers and they reassure me that I'm on the right trail. And they tend to come in bunches.

Love and light,

Lisa

[*_Annemarie_*]

I have called Geneotech to ask questions about some side effects I was having from Herceptin. My nose drips after treatment. The person in medical affairs told me that 14% of pts. get rhititis. I found it helpful.

[*_Joe_*]

Fontaine,

Under the present Tort system in this country, it would be impossible to get a representative of Genentech or any other drug company to actively participate on this website. Their liability would be enormous. Currently any nonroutine inquiry made to pharmaceutical companies takes weeks or even months as any answer must be approved by their legal departments.

An April 2002 study prepared by the White House Council of Economic Advisers determined that the U.S. has the most expensive tort system in the world, consuming 1.8% of GDP. At $636 per capita, it’s more than twice the average percentage of other industrialized nations.

Put another way, the $179 billion the nation spent in 2000 on direct costs for insurance administration, attorneys, witnesses, and awards to victims under the American tort adjudication system equals 150% of the amount Americans spent on pharmaceuticals.

Yesterday's 245 Million dollar award against Merck is just an example.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if only half of that money could be used to support medical research.

Lisa is correct, Genentech has supported this website since 2001. We receive sustaining funds through an "unrestricted educational grant". The FDA is very strict about this form of support. Genentech cannot influence how we run this website or its content in any manner in any manner. They are entirely "hands off". For a complete list of our corporate contributors, click on the "Make a donation" tag on the top right hand corner of this page.

Warmest Regards
Joe

[Fontaine]

Thanks for the comprehensive response, Joe. I had considered the potential problem of legal liability but thought if information was kept generic and wasn't directed to specific posters (but infomrally based on the types of questions being asked), then it might work. But I can see how any medical organization would be hyper-sensitive given the litigious nature of our society.

It is a sad state of affairs, when seen from the larger view, is it not?