The APEX trial provides good level 2 evidence, but the fact that it was stopped early as a result of significantly improved survival and TTP in the bortezomib patients initially limited the availability of longer-term survival benefit.
Biomarkers are also, by virtue of their short-term availability as predictors of longer-term events, useful for 'proof-of-concept studies' in the development or use of new or novel therapeutic interventions.
With the recent regulatory approvals and availability of positive, longer-term data for front-line nilotinib and dasatinib therapy in CML patients, 57, 58 more clinicians will likely prescribe these drugs for newly diagnosed patients.
"Our work reveals that effective family planning and reproduction education worldwide have great potential to constrain the size of the human population and alleviate pressure on resource availability over the longer term," said Prof Barry Brook from the University of Tasmania.
In such cases, tiered pricing should be implemented in the short term, while simultaneous steps are taken to improve affordability and availability over the longer term.
It urges as well two kinds of longer-term approaches.
Whilst HBO therapy appears an effective treatment method for HC, the practicalities of longer-term administration and access/availability issues are potential barriers to its more widespread use.
The National Academy report concluded that: "Over the longer term, the availability of minerals and mineral products is largely a function of investment and the various factors that influence the level of investment and its geographic allocation and success". Well, no kidding.
But what of the much longer term?
The benefit in the short-term of an increase in water availability is likely to be outweighed by the medium-term loss of soil water storage capacity (in the unsaturated zone) due to the high erosion rate of exposed soil surface, and potential longer term loss of the entire soil profile.
