[BuckslayerNYC]

Parkinson’s is an incredibly difficult challenge for patients, caregivers, and researchers. I understand and can empathise with cynics, particularly those who have the condition. My brother was diagnosed with early onset 15 years ago, and I am in the medical research field, so I have a unique perspective (kind of I think) on this issue.  I would caution making a connection between cost/price of current medicines to consumers to treat motor and non-motor symptoms vs. profit  realized by those entities vs. the financial windfall for finding an impactful next step or “cure” for PD.

Anyone who thinks the profit motive of keeping patients in their current “treatment box” to reap reward$ is stronger than incenting motivation to find new and better approaches is wrong…there is not “illuminati, or “Q”, or cabal working against patient populations in any disease state in this way…it’s nonsensical.

Comparatively speaking Parkinson’s meds are not “money makers” for pharma…they are mostly non branded generics. The Parkinson’s patient population is comparatively small, compared with say Diabetes, or Crohns….so its not a big money maker currently.

Conversely a “cure” or radical clinical upgrade would be a HUGE money maker due to the above 2 facts….like the race to the moon. Don’t believe me?   Go Google  https://www.childrenshospital.org/centers-and-services/programs/f-_-n/gene-therapy-program/conditions-we-treat/beta-thalassemia     See this rare condition? See this therapy? its a one time approach and pharma charges upwards of $1mil per in circumstances like it for conditions in adult cancers currently….

So pharma would be happy to trade the levodopa and interventional surgical device therapies for such an arrangement if they could….and of course this is just the economic argument against such cynicism…it does not take into account the fact that most Parkinson’s research is independent or government initiated, not big pharma….

I think we all need to focus a bit more on understanding the difference between “personalized medicine” and “precision medicine” to get an idea on where and when the next breakthroughs will occur. Parkinson’s is a completely different journey per PWP….lessons learned from each traveller are not necessarily applicable to the population at large…and therein lies the challenge. Here is to focusing on today, what tomorrow can bring, and my brother Patrick who wakes up each day with hope!