Welcome

Welcome to Grappy's Soap Box - a platform for insightful commentary on politics, media, free speech, climate change, and more, focusing on Australia, the USA, and global perspectives.

Sunday, 19 April 2026

What if the Cure Isn’t Profitable?

There’s a fascinating—and deeply frustrating—video from Dr John Campbell making the rounds right now. It dives into emerging research on repurposed drugs—specifically ivermectin and mebendazole—and their potential role in cancer treatment.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let’s be clear: this is not settled science. But it is a signal. And it’s a signal that deserves attention.

What the Study Found

The video walks through a prospective observational study involving nearly 200 cancer patients using a combination of ivermectin and mebendazole.

The headline number?

  • 84% clinical benefit rate — meaning patients experienced tumour regression, stability, or no evidence of disease.

That’s not trivial. Not even close.

Even more interesting:

  • The treatment appeared to work across a wide range of cancers

  • Side effects were mild and generally well tolerated

  • Lower doses worked just as well as higher ones

  • The drugs are cheap—very cheap

We’re not talking about cutting-edge, billion-dollar biotech here. These are long-established, generic medications.

Why This Matters

Here’s where things get uncomfortable.

Traditional cancer treatments can cost upwards of $100,000 per year.

By contrast, this protocol—if proven effective—could cost a fraction of that.

So the obvious question is:

Why aren’t we seeing large-scale, gold-standard clinical trials?

The Repurposing Problem

This isn’t new. It’s the dirty little secret of modern medicine.

Repurposing existing drugs—especially generics—faces a brutal reality:

  • No patent = no profit

  • No profit = no incentive

  • No incentive = no large trials

Pharmaceutical companies fund most large randomised controlled trials. That’s not a criticism—it’s just the system we’ve built.

But that system has a blind spot.

If a drug is:

  • cheap

  • widely available

  • off-patent

…then there is no financial upside in proving it works for a new indication.

So the studies don’t get done.

Not because the idea is wrong.
Not because the science is impossible.

But because the business model doesn’t support it.

A Signal, Not a Conclusion

To be fair—and this matters—the study discussed is:

  • observational

  • partly based on self-reported outcomes

  • not randomised or controlled

Even the authors say this is hypothesis-generating, not definitive.

In other words:
“This looks promising. Now we need proper trials.”

And that’s exactly the point.

So Who Should Step In?

If the private sector won’t fund it, the obvious candidates are:

  • Governments

  • Universities

  • Independent research bodies

Because if even a fraction of this holds up under rigorous testing, we are talking about:

  • cheaper treatments

  • wider global access

  • potentially better outcomes

Especially in parts of the world where $100,000 therapies are simply not an option.

The Bigger Question

This isn’t really about ivermectin or mebendazole.

It’s about a system that is incredibly good at developing profitable drugs…
…but not nearly as good at exploring unprofitable ones.

And that should concern all of us.

Because the question isn’t:

“Do these drugs work?”

The real question is:

“Are we even willing to find out?”

Watch the Full Video

If you want to hear the full breakdown and judge for yourself, watch the video here:


No comments:

Post a Comment