New Drug May Extend Life of Biotech Start-up by 6 Months
New Drug May Extend Life of Biotech Start-up by 6 Months
San Diego, California -- SRB07221, a drug newly entering the clinical trial phase, may extend the life of Santa Ray Biosciences, it was reported recently. The company had been told that while accountants cannot predict death with precision, about one half of companies like Santa Ray would be dead within 12-15 months. Indeed, according to CEO Mia Tardelli, part of the consultation with the accountant had focused on whether life-extending measures were still appropriate, or whether a referral to palliative care might be indicated. "But the new drug has given us hope, and that is the sort of thing that not even a new round of venture capital funding can buy."
Experts have warned that early-phase trials rarely extend the life of a biotech start-up significantly, and that dramatic responses are rare. Mark Edwards, an ethicist at the University of Southern California, says that companies should focus on making the rest of their time comfortable and enjoyable, rather than engaging in desperate efforts to stave off the inevitable. Edwards says that staff need to focus less on the fact that they had lost a billion-dollar payday when they were bought by a major pharmaceutical company and more on the positive aspects, such as scientific achievements.
Tardelli remains optimistic, pointing out that if trial results were positive, it would transform the lives of all of her employees: "SRB07221 might well be a highly effective treatment for our company balance sheet."
San Diego, California -- SRB07221, a drug newly entering the clinical trial phase, may extend the life of Santa Ray Biosciences, it was reported recently. The company had been told that while accountants cannot predict death with precision, about one half of companies like Santa Ray would be dead within 12-15 months. Indeed, according to CEO Mia Tardelli, part of the consultation with the accountant had focused on whether life-extending measures were still appropriate, or whether a referral to palliative care might be indicated. "But the new drug has given us hope, and that is the sort of thing that not even a new round of venture capital funding can buy."
Experts have warned that early-phase trials rarely extend the life of a biotech start-up significantly, and that dramatic responses are rare. Mark Edwards, an ethicist at the University of Southern California, says that companies should focus on making the rest of their time comfortable and enjoyable, rather than engaging in desperate efforts to stave off the inevitable. Edwards says that staff need to focus less on the fact that they had lost a billion-dollar payday when they were bought by a major pharmaceutical company and more on the positive aspects, such as scientific achievements.
Tardelli remains optimistic, pointing out that if trial results were positive, it would transform the lives of all of her employees: "SRB07221 might well be a highly effective treatment for our company balance sheet."
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