Lansdale Letter To The Editor: Integrity Absent In Cancer Research

The following letter to the editor was submitted by local resident John Snover. To submit a letter to the editor at Patch, email justin.heinze@patch.com.

I firmly believe, just like our politicians, that integrity is totally absent with cancer research.

My wife has CLL. She was just prescribed oral chemo. Her pills produced by Johnson & Johnson carry a price tag of $10444.46 per month.

What incentive is there for Johnson & Johnson or any other pharmaceutical company to produce a cure for cancer, or, for that matter, any other disease.

When was the last cure for any disease? If I'm not mistaken, in the 1950's for polio. And before that, smallpox. With all the technology and intelligence we have today, somebody is BSing us all.

It is also my, and many others, opinion that greed is the only thing that matters. That a cure for many cancers has been found, patented and the patent has been buried.

As long as donations go to research not results, that's all anyone will get, research without results when it comes to a cure. I am sure the research money is applied to cancer maintenance since that is where the profits are.

Unless greed is replaced with integrity, very soon, I can't think of any reasons to donate. It's time to hold the major pharmaceutical companies accountable. What exactly are they doing with the billions and billions of dollars they receive?

I know if I or any other working person was paid and not have to produce results, then nothing is exactly what results you would get.

Medical research, just like politics, is getting be a real joke. As long as researchers can take home their paycheck and politicians can take home their paycheck, and the hell with producing a cure.

Lastly, when my daughter received her Masters of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania, in computer science, she was told that research and development companies were literally scared stupid of her major, artificial intelligence. They were afraid it would put the researchers out of work. The lack of research resulting in a cure has made it clear, human intelligence isn't working. And for some reason, that's ok with the CEO's.

I know I seem radical, but I date back to when common sense wasn't considered a super power. If Jonas Salk was working for today's pharmaceutical companies, we still wouldn't have a cure for polio.

Sincerely,

John Snover

Patch file photo.