Have the pharmaceutical industry discovered a new 'miracle' cure for dementia? They obviously think so, and our mainstream media appears to agree with them. At least, it was prepared yesterday (22nd July 2015) to provide Eli Lilly with free advertising for most of the day! As usual, the BBC boarded the drugs bandwagon with its usual alacrity, giving the drug maximum news coverage in each of their news bulletins for most of the day. Fergus Walsh, the BBC's Health Correspondent, was beside himself with excitement!
Dr Eric Siemers, from the drug company Eli Lilly is quoted by the BBC saying:
"It's another piece of evidence that solanezumab does have an effect on the underlying disease pathology. We think there is a chance that solanezumab will be the first disease-modifying medication to be available."
Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK (a patient support organisation known to be funded in large part by the pharmaceutical industry) is quoted as telling BBC News:
"If this gets replicated, then I think this is a real breakthrough in Alzheimer's research. Then, for the first time, the medical community can say we can slow Alzheimer's, which is an incredible step forward. These data need replicating, this is not proof, but what you can say is it is entirely consistent with a disease-modifying effect.
The BBC News coverage appeared to have no such reserve. There has never been a drug available before to treat dementia. So this is wonderful news! Now the prospect of a treatment to delay (not stop, or reverse) the disease might be available - if we wait another 3 years time. They offered us a married couple who were hoping for a cure for the wife. They offered us a collection of people from the conventional medical establishment, to speak up for the new drug. They offered us little that questioned what the drug companies wanted us to know.
Eli Willy must have been delighted with the advertising that was, delivered to the entirely free of charge. They must also have been delighted that their press release remained unquestioned, unexamined, and that no searching questions were asked.
The BBC have, of course, been long-time supporters of the pharmaceutical drugs industry! And they have been reporting conventional medical breakthroughs for dementia for many years, at least back to 2007 (I have not bothered to go back further!)
29 April 2007. "Scientists 'reverse' memory loss".
11 June 2008. "Dual action Alzhemer's drug hope".
29 July 2008. "Praise for new Alzheimer's drug".
29 July 2008. "Alzheimer's drug 'halts' decline.
6 May 2009. "Drug Trials 'reverse' Alzheimers".
Yet never once did they ask - what has happened to these medical breakthroughs? Why have we been told about such breakthrough so often, with so little outcome? How long will we have to wait for this drug? Why did two earlier trials of this drug end in failure?
And, true to form, the question of side effects, or disease-inducing-effects, were never once mentioned. Despite the record of the pharmaceutical drugs industry, the safety of drugs does not appear to be of any interest to our mainstream media.
And, true to form, the central question - what is the cause of the Alzheimer's epidemic - was never asked.
Without any doubt one of the main causes of the current epidemic of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease are pharmaceutical drugs!
So should the media not have ask the question about whether people who are worried about, or suffering from early stage dementia, would not be better avoid drugs such as Benzodiazepines, Antidepressants, Anticholinergics, and not least, the Influenza vaccine?
No, of course not! Our media seems to think it is better for us not to know about these things! Perhaps they believe it is too upsetting for us. Perhaps they think it is easier to go along, meekly and cravenly, with the official line of the conventional medical establishment! Perhaps it is lazy journalism, it being easier to parrot a press release than to ask serious questions, especially when that involves challenging the conventional medical establishment about its drug safety record, and the history of drug company corruption and fraud.
Perhaps they believe it is not right to question whether drug companies are causing disease with their drugs and vaccines, and then coming up with other drugs in order to deal with the diseases they have caused in the first place!
So this blog will seek to follow the future triumphs of Solanezumab. It is already noteworthy to suggest that we have been through this hype before, that we have only the drug companies assurance about the results of the tests, and that even then, it is only delaying the decline, not arresting or reversing it. The costs, financial and personal, will only become apparent over time.
Dr Eric Siemers, from the drug company Eli Lilly is quoted by the BBC saying:
"It's another piece of evidence that solanezumab does have an effect on the underlying disease pathology. We think there is a chance that solanezumab will be the first disease-modifying medication to be available."
Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK (a patient support organisation known to be funded in large part by the pharmaceutical industry) is quoted as telling BBC News:
"If this gets replicated, then I think this is a real breakthrough in Alzheimer's research. Then, for the first time, the medical community can say we can slow Alzheimer's, which is an incredible step forward. These data need replicating, this is not proof, but what you can say is it is entirely consistent with a disease-modifying effect.
The BBC News coverage appeared to have no such reserve. There has never been a drug available before to treat dementia. So this is wonderful news! Now the prospect of a treatment to delay (not stop, or reverse) the disease might be available - if we wait another 3 years time. They offered us a married couple who were hoping for a cure for the wife. They offered us a collection of people from the conventional medical establishment, to speak up for the new drug. They offered us little that questioned what the drug companies wanted us to know.
Eli Willy must have been delighted with the advertising that was, delivered to the entirely free of charge. They must also have been delighted that their press release remained unquestioned, unexamined, and that no searching questions were asked.
The BBC have, of course, been long-time supporters of the pharmaceutical drugs industry! And they have been reporting conventional medical breakthroughs for dementia for many years, at least back to 2007 (I have not bothered to go back further!)
29 April 2007. "Scientists 'reverse' memory loss".
11 June 2008. "Dual action Alzhemer's drug hope".
29 July 2008. "Praise for new Alzheimer's drug".
29 July 2008. "Alzheimer's drug 'halts' decline.
6 May 2009. "Drug Trials 'reverse' Alzheimers".
Yet never once did they ask - what has happened to these medical breakthroughs? Why have we been told about such breakthrough so often, with so little outcome? How long will we have to wait for this drug? Why did two earlier trials of this drug end in failure?
And, true to form, the question of side effects, or disease-inducing-effects, were never once mentioned. Despite the record of the pharmaceutical drugs industry, the safety of drugs does not appear to be of any interest to our mainstream media.
- It is all good news - but for the future.
- It is all good new - perhaps until patients are given the drug, and find that they contract other diseases.
And, true to form, the central question - what is the cause of the Alzheimer's epidemic - was never asked.
Without any doubt one of the main causes of the current epidemic of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease are pharmaceutical drugs!
So should the media not have ask the question about whether people who are worried about, or suffering from early stage dementia, would not be better avoid drugs such as Benzodiazepines, Antidepressants, Anticholinergics, and not least, the Influenza vaccine?
No, of course not! Our media seems to think it is better for us not to know about these things! Perhaps they believe it is too upsetting for us. Perhaps they think it is easier to go along, meekly and cravenly, with the official line of the conventional medical establishment! Perhaps it is lazy journalism, it being easier to parrot a press release than to ask serious questions, especially when that involves challenging the conventional medical establishment about its drug safety record, and the history of drug company corruption and fraud.
Perhaps they believe it is not right to question whether drug companies are causing disease with their drugs and vaccines, and then coming up with other drugs in order to deal with the diseases they have caused in the first place!
So this blog will seek to follow the future triumphs of Solanezumab. It is already noteworthy to suggest that we have been through this hype before, that we have only the drug companies assurance about the results of the tests, and that even then, it is only delaying the decline, not arresting or reversing it. The costs, financial and personal, will only become apparent over time.
