Posted by JohnX2 on April 2, 2002, at 20:48:29
In reply to Re: Kramer- Question on Mode of Action - Provigil » JohnX2, posted by IsoM on April 2, 2002, at 16:59:10
These are my thoughts...
I have to be cynical having had dealt with lawyers...I've been surprised at how much information they've requested we suppress... ;-)
> But it's a copletely different business, John. There's stuff my son programs that pretty secretive too, as who wants the competition writing code for the same idea or in the same way?
>
> But microchips & programs don't affect people's health. If you get sick while using a program, no one's going to want to know what its code is. But if a person with an genetic illness suddenly takes a turn for the worse just after they've been prescribed something new, how the med works is a pretty good thing to know.
>Agreed, but..
Cynical...Not if you are the pharmaceutical company. Best little be known about how your product works to avoid liability issues.
If the product could cause a health concern, then it would be best if the public knew less about the product than more.> Provigil is patented for a while so there's no worry someone will make the same thing. But there's definitely going to be interest in making similar medication. If Provigil doesn't bind to any particular neurotransmitter, it's kind of hard to hypothesise on how it works, but they'll still want to know.
>If Cephalon published a report indicating how provigil worked (of course they can't get around the patent disclosures), this may tip off a competitor on a lead to make a pharmaceutical to achieve the same means. It doesn't matter how difficult a copy cat would be, this is what Cephalon's intellectual property attorneys would believe and will try to protect this information regardless of how ludicrous it is for the competitors to impede on their market (this is what the attorneys get paid for).
> If you ever get looking through the thick manuals on medications like the CPS we have in Canada (don't know if it's in the States too), you'll find an explanation for the medications mechanism of action. Generally, there's something on pharmakintetics & pharmadynamics for most medications except the old ones that have been around for a long time. It's no trade secret how meds work & is found in many texts.
>A lot of this information is required for the FDA, etc correct? Exactly what occurs in the brain does not need to be disclosed?
> One way that I know of on how meds are made is:
> the key part of the molecule that fits into a receptor site (it mimics the original natural brain chemical) is tailor made to fit the receptor. Then it gets tested to see if it works in vitro & goes on from there. All the competition has to do is to make another molecule that will fit like the medication that works. Much, much more difficult than it sounds though & can take many years.
Most companies spy on each other by looking at the other companies patent filings.John
poster:JohnX2
thread:101413
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020402/msgs/101568.html