This may surprise you, but there is actually a drug in existence which can be used to treat lung cancer. It’s not a new development, and has been researched extensively and gone through stringent testing for over 25 years. Why do we never hear of it? Because corporate interests and shady backroom deals ensure that pharmaceutical companies wield the power over potentially life-saving medications.
The number of public health issues in recent decades in Cuba is growing, largely due to tobacco – one of the nation’s biggest exports. Because of the increase in lung cancer cases, the country decided to develop a drug to help prevent it. CimaVax EGF was the product of the research, and this drug has been proven to be one of the most effective treatments for lung cancer in the world.
Why Does Lung Cancer Vaccine CimaVax EGF Work?
Cancer is caused by cells dividing to create tumours, so stopping the hormone which promotes cell growth inevitably dramatically slows tumour growth. EGF is the hormone in question and this lung cancer vaccine works by limiting the production of EGF.
While CimaVax EGF cannot totally prevent lung cancer, the drug is effective in allowing sufferers to manage their condition. Testing in Cuba has shown that those who are given this lung cancer vaccine have an increased survival rates in those who are in the later stages of lung cancer. It is expected that survival rates would be even higher if the vaccine was administered when symptoms were first discovered.
It is also true that the side effects of CimaVax EGF are very mild. The more traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, are typically much more dangerous and in some cases has resulted in the death of patients. And, to top everything, the vaccine is available for just $1 to make, and it is given to Cubans free of charge, even though Cuba is a relatively poor country.
On that evidence, it makes no sense that CimaVax EGF is not available to Americans, so what is the explanation?
The Unfortunate Link between Profit and Medicine
Medicine is a profit industry and, in the case of this drug, also a political industry. Relations between the US and Cuba have been strained for decades and it is only the recent thawing of relations under Barack Obama’s presidency that could potentially make CimaVax EGF available to Americans. Researchers at the Roswell Park Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program are testing the drug, but it is not guaranteed to be successful on the US market due to competition from alternatives.
Two private companies, Ono Pharmaceutical and Aduro Biotech are developing BLP 25 and GVAX respectively. Development has been in progress since the 1990s, and as costs are likely to have mounted, it is unlikely that the companies will be keen to compete with a far cheaper alternative.
There has been mass outrage at ex-hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli’s decision to purchase Daraprim – a drug which is used by certain AIDS sufferers – and immediately hike up the price from $13 to $700 per dose. He claims that the reasoning for such a dramatic increase is so that better treatments can be offered in the future, although many refute this, making accusations of greed.
Therefore, if CimaVax EGF ever does go on public sale in the US, the likelihood is that it will be sold way beyond the $1 which it costs to produce.
No End in Sight
Frustratingly, despite the evident issues, the chances of things changing are slim due to the massive power of pharmaceutical companies. The intention to buy up all of the rights to new technologies, and then eventually resell them at an outrageous price for obscene profits is a tactic which has also been utilized by the oil companies.
It’s a sad sight. Every year in America over 200,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer, and over 150,000 die from the disease. The humane answer would be to plow as much money in as possible to find a real solution, but this is not being done. Hopefully, as the public becomes more aware of the scandal, the pressure on big pharmaceutical companies will increase, and that changes can be made.
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Leif Davenport is a writer for Waking Times.
This article is published by Waking Times under this USA Today. You can re-post it with the attribution, this copyright statement and author bio.
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