The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7285 p153
7 February 2004

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Letters to the Editor

Clinical trials

Lack of financial incentive

From Mr C. R. Cleverly, MRPharmS

One of the weaknesses of the present system by which new drugs reach the market and are assessed against existing treatments by means of a controlled clinical trials is that, unless there is substantial financial motivation to the manufacturers concerned, the potential benefits of cheap, existing remedies may be overlooked.

I suspect that the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) can be greatly diminished by the simple expedient of supplementation with 15mg of elemental zinc daily; but the chances of getting this potential assessed and compared with existing BPH treatments is limited by lack of financial incentive.

C. R. Cleverly
Sherborne, Dorset

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