Dr. Bob welcomes another very special Doctor to the program, Hematologist, Oncologist, and esteemed Medical Researcher, Dr. Aaron Goodman. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Goodman was a part of the Oncology team that helped save Dr. Bob's life when he had his own battle with a rare and very deadly form of cancer several years ago.
Dr. Goodman breaks some of the inner-workings of the pharmaceutical industry including drug discovery, testing, and FDA approval. He explains that cancer occurs when cells in the body mutate and misbehave, leading to uncontrolled growth, and the process of drug discovery, where compounds are developed to inhibit specific pathways in cancer cells. Dr. Goodman highlights the importance of distinguishing between tumor shrinkage and overall survival when assessing drug activity. He also raises concerns about the influence of pharmaceutical companies on clinical trials and the need for greater transparency and patient advocacy in the drug approval process.
Aaron speaks knowledgeably on several controversial topics including the influence of money in drug development and clinical trials, the reliability of surrogate endpoints in measuring drug efficacy, the potential biases and conflicts of interest in the pharmaceutical industry, and the role of regulatory bodies like the FDA in approving drugs with potential risks and side effects.