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The drug companies have spent many millions in recent years to create and
take over patient groups and sites. They directly or indirectly control many if
not most of the web sites and patient groups for various types of diseases. When
a newly diagnosed patient uses a search engine to find information and
support groups for a particular disease they will often end up on
a site or in a group controlled by a durg company. Because of the many
loopholes in the law drug companies are not required to disclose in
all cases who they are paying money to. They can make payments for everything
from individual patients (who act as informal and undisclosed lobbyists who
participate in and operate patient support groups) to complete control of
various types of support and patient groups and front organizations who receive
millions a year. There has always been a tremendous amount of payola
in the drug and healthcare industries. Through control of various groups and
sites the healthcare industry makes certain they control and monitor
patients from the day they are diagnosed to the extent it is possible to do so.
This group and the other groups and sites that are operated by CMLHope.Com have always been paid for by
my family for nearly 10 years now. We have never accepted any drug company
money, other healthcare industry money, or funding from any other sources.
This group was involved in some publicity including a New York
Times article in recent years which exposed the problems that
many desperate and indigent CML patients have had in trying to obtain
Gleevec. This group has always tried to be independent and objective.
The first priority in this group has always been patients and their families.
Many of the problems this group has had in recent years involved
a small handful of people who would attack Sandra Landels, me,
and others for posts they considered "political" and
"unacceptable" because they were from a pro-patient and pro-consumer point
of view which was contrary to their interests and point of view.
Rob
Company's Vow to Donate Cancer Drug Falls Short
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/business/05DRUG.html?ex=1111726800&en=3d716d4015e5a996&ei=5070 ----- Original Message -----
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