Please Help Compel a Possible Cure

I totally support your cause but did want to mention that Sanofi recently did get into the glucometer buisness



www.ibgstar.com/web/ibgstar



They also have Apidra as their fast acting insulin. I noticed last night they have some clinical trials going on with Apidra and Lantus so it looks like they will be making a push at least until Lantus has it’s patent expire. It seems like they are making moves to broaden their profile to meet the needs of their diabetic consumers. Just goes to show you Sanofi is looking out for us. NOT!

As soon as I posted, I realized I was wrong about the other insulin that Sanofi sells. Regardless, I hope that some people will join the effort to E-mail Dr. Mass and Mr. Viehbacher. I agree, this is a long shot, but I think it’s worth a try. That’s really all this discussion was intended to do – encourage people who want to try to help persuade Sanofi-aventis to move forward with HIP to do that. I know it has inspired a few. I am grateful for that.

I have no problem with spending the 2 minutes to send an email. There is no doubt this shows promise and maybe some concerned letters may at least make them think twice about just scrapping it. I always think the worst in these situations- Sanofi bought the rights simply so they could squash it. That is just my cynical view of the world though. What can sending a quick email hurt?

We are on the same page. Thanks!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world, indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

Donna, it is not an adamant objection to sending the email. Some of us have been down this road before when new way of treatments come along to improve our lives. They get bought up and put away because the company that owns the rights realize that treatments like Lantus will make them more money then a one time treatment like the one we are talking about. Through the last 15 years I have seen great ways to treat cancer and diabetes found and then some Pharma buys the rights and they are never heard of again. Case in point, 5 years ago a University in Canada found that a drug that has been around 70 years helps to kill off cancer cells, but no company will make the drug or even express interest in it because they will not make the amount of money that they currently make selling their drugs they own the rights to and can sell for what ever price they want.

Scott, a good question to ask is if they entered into a partnership with this treatment or did they sell all the rights to the company. If it is a partnership then they may have a right to terminate the agreement and find another partner, but if they sold the rights then Sanofi can do what ever it wants with it.

APPLAUSE

I agree it is an uphill battle but certainly one that is worth a couple minute email?

Message sent. I did ask them for a response to the accusations though. There are two sides to every story. Would like to at least hear them out (and maybe Dr. Levetan?), then we can decide what to believe. On the surface it’s easy to make the connection with protecting their sales. If they are intentionally holding back a cure to diabetes to protect Lantus sales, then this is an issue that we need to escalate well beyond TuD and Sanofi to levels of the ADA, Congress, and media, but I don’t think we should jump the gun.

Scott and Brock - Claresa Levetan is a TuDiabetes member – ask her. :slight_smile:

Thank you to everyone who continues to send E-mails.

I just sent an email. I mentioned in it that developing HIP would not mean patients would no longer use Sanofi-Aventis’s insulin, because it has only been shown to cause a 27% rise in insulin production. So patients would still need insulin, but would also take HIP. So I made it sound like a good business decision. :slight_smile: Who knows- maybe that will work!

Yeah it seems like a whole lot of “if’'s” would need to happen before Lantus was no longer needed. One example is “if” they can find a way to depress the immune system enough that the 27% turns in to a number that can sustain life and prevent complications.

Guys,



I have been exchanging emails with Dr Levetan earlier this afternoon. She means well but doesn’t have very good communication skills at all. That aside I believe Sanofi has no interest in going forward with this for two reasons. 1. The obvious, they make too much money selling Insulin though type 2 is the far bigger market anyway. 2. All of the Immune tolerance drugs failed to show any efficacy including Diamyd’s Gad Vaccine which by the way got all the way to phase 3. Without any way of stopping the Immune attack “Pancreate” will not be able to offer much of anything for us Type 1’s anyways. I told her to call Dr Faustman and screw Sanofi and see if their Pancreate and BCG could work magic together. Bypass the whole F-------G Big Pharma thing and put the nail in their F------G coffin already!

I’ve posted the white papers and information on the the therapy. It is an insulin regeneration therapy – not an overall cure to stop diabetes from hitting in the first place. But it could prove to ameliorate the need for insulin. More development is needed and that’s what I would like to see Sanofi do. No one said it was the cure. That being said, Gary, if you do not feel it worth the effort to urge Sanofi forward in this E-mail campaign, that’s cool. No need to bash our efforts though. I am hopeful that others think it doesn’t hurt to try. I recognize it’s a long shot - but if it could mean a life without injecting insulin, I’m sure going to give it a shot. It can’t hurt and just may help. I am hopeful that still some more people will feel it is worth the effort to at least try to compel Sanofi to move forward.

Sending an email. I am not particularly hopeful about this but there is literally no downside to shooting off a quick message, so I don’t mind at all. Honestly the really sick thing is that insulins are treated as biologic medications under US patent law and are thereby not subject to patent expiration like most other medicines. I am sure that Sanofi would be taking much more of an interest in these sorts of projects if they knew that Lantus’s patent would eventually expire (not to mention that it would make insulin a lot more affordable for those who are stuck on R/N regimens).

As I said to Dr Levetan If Sanofi felt this would eventually be a blockbuster money making therapy for them there would be no reason the trials would not have started. My guess is they are probably second guessing it and really have no drive to move it forward. The licensing deal went down over a year ago and no signs of any trials. As far as the actual treatment itself as I’ve said a million times Insulin Independence is the only way anyone is going to be able to market an expensive treatment. Simple question. If you could be offered a treatment that would help you keep tighter control overall but you still needed insulin and still had to watch your diet and the procedure would cost you $100k would you do it? My guess is most people wouldn’t. On the other hand I think most people would be willing to pay $100K to be Insulin free. I have no interest in emailing Sanofi because in my mind if they have no intention of moving forward with the trials my email isn’t going to change a dam thing. We still don’t know for sure what’s going on and personally I don’t think Dr Levetan does either.

I didn’t know they were treated like biologics. I’m transactional not patent. That’s a good piece of info. Thanks! And even a bigger thanks for sending off an e-mail! To brazenly hijack Patrice’s earlier quote of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

QUIT! I know how much money is made off diabetics but there’s more money in taking the meds needed for a “cure” It’s expensive to have the surgery and more expensive to take all the drugs they give you for this & that. If I had the money for that I would gladly pay it and watch my diet.