Nothing NOTHING in Canada Napa. I think they have to hold them regionally to have participants on hand for observation, blood tests, etc. I don't think they can keep their credibility otherwise. .. a controlled envirnment.
hang tight ..you and I seem to be around the same stage (dif geno I know). These drugs will get to us soon..give it a year. I've been waiting over 40, surely I can wait one more! (fingers crossed)

I am applying for a trial in Bethesda. Not sure if I have to pay my expenses or not.

MONEY it's all about $$$$

Yes Nap Im sure that is correct. But as theytold me in 1981 it would do me more harm than good and that I only have about 2 hyears left. So it is constusly changing from day to day. I just wish just ONE person would tellthe truth so that we can prepare more than we are now :-)

just remotely on topic, but reporting the trial results is overseen by pharma's marketing department and the marketing people write the reports, not the doctors or researchers.

I thought this was kind of interesting...

Clinical Trials Flawed by Biased Reporting

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/clinical-trials-flawed-by-biased-reporting/

Yes Kat I am always keeping that in mind. In Canada the trials are conducted jointly in hospitals. I believe having third party medics who are at arms length confers a great deal of credibility.
How are they conducted in the USA?

I took a brand new drug for breast cancer. It was just approved by the FDA the month that I finished chemo. Within a few months of taking it my bones were hurting so bad that I was miserable. I told my oncologist that the drug was causing me to have bone pain. He said that I had a fear of my cancer recurring. I said NO, the drug is causing me to have bone pain. He said that he was sending me to a psychiatrist over my "pain". I fired him that day.
Within a few months all of the breast cancer sites and hotlines were exploding with complaints about this drug. Bone pain wasn't even listed as a common side effect, yet almost every woman who took It had the same problem. I don't know anyone who was able to take the drug for the recommended period of time.
I also found out later that it causes liver damage. I was supposed to stay on is drug for the rest of my life. I stayed on it for two years and decided that quality of life was more important than quantity of life. Against doctor's advise I went off of the drug and I am still alive. The drug company's side effects were substantially understated. And I still become livid when I see that doctor at Race for the Cure.

Don't you wish these drs could get a taste of the crap they dish out? Let them suffer and be told it's all in their big, fat, arrogant heads!

That experience taught me to trust my instincts and that doctors do not know everything. I love the doctors that I have now and trust them with my life - literally.

I definately believe in trusting your instincts. I'm glad you have drs you trust now Nancy.

Praying for some good effective meds for you napa & Kramer... & bestshot, and Hank, and everyone else who's waiting. May it be soon.

Sorry about your bad experience Tulsa. They are trials for that very reason. They are still collecting data on safety and efficacy.
By the time they get to phase 1 they are past laboratory and animal testing and the nest step is human testing.
Not everyone should enter a trial if they can wait and have the financial means to afford for them to market.

Phase I: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.

Phase II: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.

Phase III: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.

Phase IV: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/ctphases.html

@Kramer- pharma hires doctors to conduct the trials for them. My trial happened to be at a VA hospital but it was sponsored by BMS and all decisions were made by BMS. The hospital provided the facility but the trial had nothing to do w/the hospital.

BTW- there are lawsuits in the works against BMS in the trial where someone died and several were hospitalized for heart failure. It turns out that BMS knew about toxicity issues. I can't be bothered to google it now...

Thanks Kat. Perhaps that is the way it is conducted here too. In my naivete I assumed the hospital itself would be conducting the trial and compiling results within the Pharma's paradigm therefore no "fudged" results. I don't know anything for certain.

Well, I don't know exactly how it works. I know the hospital had all of my records and some of the blood tests were done in the hospital and some was sent to BMS for their lab. But I do know that the trials are sponsored by pharma and it's THEIR trial and it's conducted the way THEY want. It seemed at times my trial doc was just the hired hand but right now I know nothing.

BTW thank you for the good wishes Peaceful