SoylentNews

There’s an op-ed in the New York Times that makes tough reading, and it’s something that we’re going to be seeing more of. The author, Matt Jablow, lost his wife Ronna to non-small cell lung cancer, undiagnosed until a late stage, which is bad enough.

[...] And now, as Jablow says, he gets to watch commercials for Opdivo talking about how it can extend lives, ask your doctor, and so on, and he’s (understandably) not happy about it. I’d find it painful, too – who wouldn’t?

[...] The op-ed goes on to note the recent failed trial as dashing “the highest of hopes”, but those were the highest of hopes for people who haven’t been following the biology closely (which includes many investors as well).

[...] Immuno-oncology, in its various forms, has pulled some people practically out of the grave by current treatment standards, and we’re going to see more of that in the years to come. But we’re also going to see people who aren’t helped by it, not yet, and losing them will be harder than ever.