Breast cancer drug study brings surprises

[Celebration]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_Breast_Cancer_Surprise.html

Oh, boy...........

ATLANTA -- Final results from a big study comparing two drugs for preventing breast cancer in high-risk women reveal surprises that challenge the government's claim that one is clearly better.

The study compared the old standby, tamoxifen, to raloxifene, a newer drug so far approved only for preventing the bone disease osteoporosis. The government contends raloxifene is safer.

At a news conference in April, the National Cancer Institute, which paid for the $88 million study, said both drugs were equally effective at lowering the risk of serious forms of breast cancer. But raloxifene users had 36 percent fewer uterine cancers and 29 percent fewer blood clots, making it a safer choice, government researchers said.

However, data made public on Monday show that the uterine cancer results were not statistically significant. This means the actual number of cases differed so little that they could have happened by chance.

[ThomCat]

1. So, is Tamoxifen available in generic, and Raloxifene not?

I can see where the drug company would have a vested interest in making their new drug look better than the old one.

[Celebration]

2. Generic tamoxifen availabel

http://www.breastcancer.org/research_hormonal_050503.html

Hahahaha, do they think we are stupid or what?

[ThomCat]

3. Yes, that is exactly what they think.

A lot of new, expensive drugs get prescribed when a cheaper, older one would work exactly as well or even better.

Why?

Because Doctors are inundated with information about only the newest drugs, so that's what they know and prescribe.

Because Doctors are inundated with fake information that claims new drugs are better or safer than old drugs, so that's what they think they should be prescribing.

Because drug companies are now allowed to advertise their new, expensive drugs directly to the public, so that's what people know about and ask for. Marketing works.

And because people can't know everything, all they need to do in create an information-overload and people will retreat into simple decisions.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Exactly right!!!!