|
Thank you all for the many different responses and views, and I do want to emphasize that I am not disputing the help herceptin has given to many women (and many other drugs as well), but what still makes me angry, and will continue to make me angry, is the way companies use statistics to put their own slant on a story, usually for profit (or glory). When I was in Grad School I received a wonderful opportunity ($100 a day, which back then was a fortune) to write the Minimum Competencies Report, a project which was jointly funded by the City University of New York, McGraw Hill, and the College Board, two of them non-profits. I was handed stacks of computer printout sheets and told to make the report read in a certain way. I'm ashamed to say I did just that (but never again). You can make statistics mean anything you want and to say that those on Nexavar lived 44% longer just rots my socks (and now you all know just how old I am).
Stephanie--you did a lovely job of informing everyone about Sandy's death. And I'm glad you were the one to tell us--her good friend--as I was thinking about her every day. It was very sad for all of us and there's no way to mitigate the pain when someone we care for dies. She was a lovely, hopeful person, and I'm sure she welcomed the extra time that herceptin gave her.
|