I have received the Fall 2017 issue of Momentum magazine, put out by the National MS Society. It's a 74-page booklet, with 37% of the pages occupied by ads for 7 MS drugs.
In addition, the issue came encased in plastic along with a booklet on stiff paper, with color photos and page after page of charts, brought to me by Aubagio. The booklet has a pocket containing a leaflet giving the prescribing information.
What interests me is these charts.
A couple of pages have large-type announcements about how Aubagio reduces relapses: 57% relapse-free in Clinical Trial 1, 57% relapse-free in Clinical Trial 2, and 72% relapse-free in Clinical Trial 3. No mention is made of how long these clinical trials last.
Next we have a couple of pages about how Aubagio slows disability progression: 80% with no disability progression in Clinical Trial 1, 84% in Clinical Trial 2. Once again, no mention of how long a time these people were studied for.
Then there are a couple of pages about how Aubagio lessens new lesions, and we are told that 80% had fewer new lesions with Aubagio vs. placebo (Clinical Trial 1).
Wouldn't a person want to know how long this drug was tested? Only a few months, or was it years?
To find this out, you'll need to explore the leaflet buried in the pocket of this booklet, which is in tiny print. Assuming that the studies mentioned in that leaflet are the same as Clinical Trials 1, 2, and 3, we learn that Study 1 lasted "up to 26 months," Study 2 lasted "up to 40 months," and Study 3 lasted "up to 108 weeks" (2.5 years).
The words "up to" in all three of them must mean that for some people, maybe quite a few people, the study lasted considerably less than the time given.
Maybe these drugs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'm just queasy about how hard they're trying to sell them.
In addition, the issue came encased in plastic along with a booklet on stiff paper, with color photos and page after page of charts, brought to me by Aubagio. The booklet has a pocket containing a leaflet giving the prescribing information.
What interests me is these charts.
A couple of pages have large-type announcements about how Aubagio reduces relapses: 57% relapse-free in Clinical Trial 1, 57% relapse-free in Clinical Trial 2, and 72% relapse-free in Clinical Trial 3. No mention is made of how long these clinical trials last.
Next we have a couple of pages about how Aubagio slows disability progression: 80% with no disability progression in Clinical Trial 1, 84% in Clinical Trial 2. Once again, no mention of how long a time these people were studied for.
Then there are a couple of pages about how Aubagio lessens new lesions, and we are told that 80% had fewer new lesions with Aubagio vs. placebo (Clinical Trial 1).
Wouldn't a person want to know how long this drug was tested? Only a few months, or was it years?
To find this out, you'll need to explore the leaflet buried in the pocket of this booklet, which is in tiny print. Assuming that the studies mentioned in that leaflet are the same as Clinical Trials 1, 2, and 3, we learn that Study 1 lasted "up to 26 months," Study 2 lasted "up to 40 months," and Study 3 lasted "up to 108 weeks" (2.5 years).
The words "up to" in all three of them must mean that for some people, maybe quite a few people, the study lasted considerably less than the time given.
Maybe these drugs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'm just queasy about how hard they're trying to sell them.
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