Tamoxifen, BigPharma, and my thoughts

First read this:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/96/103729.htm

What a news! Take tamoxifen and live longer! Isn't that nice. let's take a closer look. Another site http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00003678?order=6
says, that trial is sponsored by
Cancer Research Campaign Clinical Trials Centre.

This Centre is funded by a very nice company: The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Cancer Research UK
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
The Leukaemia Research Fund
The Garfield Weston Foundation
The Monument Trust
Kay Kendall Fund
The Wellcome Trust
The US National Cancer Institute
The Bob Champion Cancer Trust
The Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Medical Research Council

for me, National Cancer Institute is enough. But nevermind, let's go go further. Cancer Research Campaign Clinical Trials Centre sponsored other reasearches too. Oh yes, along with its buddy, NCI and some other players. What players? Hmm, let's see: Breast International Group, EORTC Breast Cancer Cooperative Group, National Cancer Institute of Canada, International Breast Cancer Study Group. Don't believe that? take a look at clinicaltrials.gov .


I like the name Breast International Group, BIG in short. Yep, it is really BIG, especially its sponsors: Novartis, Aventis, Eli Lilly, BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, and others. Hey, where is Merc? Despite huge loss Meck not being sponsor, I like the company of these sponsors. One bike owner must be very happy. By the way, International Breast Cancer Study Group is a part of BIG.
I know, it's boring- bear with me. EORTC Breast Cancer Cooperative Group is also a part of BIG. Oh, dear. BIG is really BIG, look at http://www.breastinternationalgroup.org/default.htm (accept, go to about BIG, then members). Okay, BIG is sponsored by BigPharma, so all othe smaller fishes are also sponsored by BigPharma, right? Hmm, very simple, huh? I bet it's not surprise for many of you, but it's intereting to see the web of our beloved BigPharma.

I guess, BIG is not the only player in the cancer research field, isn't it? What are those high rollers? let's see.

*European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Ok, EORTC president is Professor Alexander M.M Eggermont, MD, PhD is Head of the Department of Surgical Oncology
at the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands and is also in the medical advisory committee of William S. Graham Foundation for Melanoma Research, Inc and this foundation is heavily funded by pharmaceutical companies like Chiron, Genta, Antigenics and so on. So, the head of this large cancer organisation has a history of being friends with BigPharma and Co. How can you be a head of a reasearch center of a university that is heavily oriented towards surgery, chemo, drugs?

*International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG). And this big fish is also a part of BIG! it gets more and more interesting (at least for me, anyway).

*ABCSG (Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group). Also a part of BIG network.

*The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) is one of the largest clinical cancer research organizations in the United States is also a part of BIG.

*The same is with The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), one of the largest of the National Cancer Institute-supported cancer clinical trials cooperative groups in the United States.

*The Cancer and Leukemia Group B is yet another fish in the BIG fish.

*oops, I forgot, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) is not different- just another prise in the BIG collection.


Where should I continue? Oh, that study. If you put search of tamoxifen in clinicaltrials.gov you'll see primarily three main types of sponsors: National Cancer Instutute, Pharmaceutical companies, and cancer research organisations.

But they have one thing in common and that is their common name: BigPharma.

National Cancer Institute as we know is a corrupt cancer research organisation that is supported by very "reliable" names like CDC, ACS (american cancer society), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others.

No wonder about pharmaceutical companies.

And all research companies, institutes so on are just all different names of the same beast. BIG, or Breast International Group is just one of the fattest and smelliest animals in the collection. BigPharma is like a chameleon- a master of disguise.


So. So much about the tamoxifen study. You decide.











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