5 ms·

I keep wondering when a reputable source is going to finally cover this and somehow burst the bubble. It sounds too good to be true, yet, somehow, nobody outsid

I keep wondering when a reputable source is going to finally cover this and somehow burst the bubble. It sounds too good to be true, yet, somehow, nobody outside their own mailing list seems to acknowledge it. What gives? Is this known quackery? I am weary to get excited, lest I get my dreams crushed yet again :/

L_Rahman 10y ago
One theory for why it isn't acknowledged could be that the creators and trial participants are outside of the Western cultural establishment. The material was discovered and synthesized in India at IIT by a Indian person. The largest clinical trial on Vasalgel - also in India. Media coverage doesn't happen organically. In almost all cases it is a two way street, with networks and personal contacts creating the bridge. The researchers in India and the cultural epicenters of the Western media establishment are about as distant as two nodes can be. Discovery and contact between the two parties is probably very hard. On the other hand if they tied it to a pre-dominant narrative in Western media about India - increasing sexual freedoms or a pathway to population management - and worked with the non-profit institutions that connect back to the nodes of cultural influence in the Western world, they would probably get a decent of amount of earned media coverage.
- xenadu02 10y ago
  Eh there are reps from the big multinational pharmaceutical companies trolling all over the world for potential drugs, both man-made and natural. Lack of media coverage doesn't mean no one is paying attention.
  - duaneb 10y ago
    If they can't patent it, and it's known to be cheap, it's a race to the bottom in terms of profits. A pill would be far more profitable. I don't think pharmaceuticals would be eager for anyone to find out about it if they can't control the money.
    - kyrra 10y ago
      You still have to pay for clinical trials in the US. If the drug can't be patented then no pharma group will pay for the trials if a generic can come along once trials complete and make just as much money.
bb611 10y ago
It's not, but it's far from proven technology. Additionally, it's the exact opposite of most medical research - fairly inexpensive to develop (a few millions USD total), but also with very little profit upside on the other end.
- lucaspiller 10y ago
  I wonder how many other potential medical treatments fall into this category. If a treatment was found that cured a large percentage of cancers, but was 'too cheap' to develop, would the same thing happen?
  - sleepychu 10y ago
    I think cancer would be a special case. Just because being the ones who came up with a cancer cure would be worth the small investment. Of course the criteria are likely to preclude a cancer treatment!
alanh 10y ago
Valerie Tarico has written about it, and she has her head screwed on straight (which I think means she’s reputable)! She's an excellent writer. However, maybe BuzzFeed needs to do a listicle on Vasalgel, or Cosmo needs to put it in SnapChat, before awareness goes mainstream… that's a sobering thought!

L_Rahman 10y ago

One theory for why it isn't acknowledged could be that the creators and trial participants are outside of the Western cultural establishment. The material was discovered and synthesized in India at IIT by a Indian person. The largest clinical trial on Vasalgel - also in India. Media coverage doesn't happen organically. In almost all cases it is a two way street, with networks and personal contacts creating the bridge. The researchers in India and the cultural epicenters of the Western media establishment are about as distant as two nodes can be. Discovery and contact between the two parties is probably very hard. On the other hand if they tied it to a pre-dominant narrative in Western media about India - increasing sexual freedoms or a pathway to population management - and worked with the non-profit institutions that connect back to the nodes of cultural influence in the Western world, they would probably get a decent of amount of earned media coverage.

xenadu02 10y ago
Eh there are reps from the big multinational pharmaceutical companies trolling all over the world for potential drugs, both man-made and natural. Lack of media coverage doesn't mean no one is paying attention.
- duaneb 10y ago
  If they can't patent it, and it's known to be cheap, it's a race to the bottom in terms of profits. A pill would be far more profitable. I don't think pharmaceuticals would be eager for anyone to find out about it if they can't control the money.
  - kyrra 10y ago
    You still have to pay for clinical trials in the US. If the drug can't be patented then no pharma group will pay for the trials if a generic can come along once trials complete and make just as much money.

bb611 10y ago

It's not, but it's far from proven technology. Additionally, it's the exact opposite of most medical research - fairly inexpensive to develop (a few millions USD total), but also with very little profit upside on the other end.

lucaspiller 10y ago
I wonder how many other potential medical treatments fall into this category. If a treatment was found that cured a large percentage of cancers, but was 'too cheap' to develop, would the same thing happen?
- sleepychu 10y ago
  I think cancer would be a special case. Just because being the ones who came up with a cancer cure would be worth the small investment. Of course the criteria are likely to preclude a cancer treatment!

alanh 10y ago

Valerie Tarico has written about it, and she has her head screwed on straight (which I think means she’s reputable)! She's an excellent writer. However, maybe BuzzFeed needs to do a listicle on Vasalgel, or Cosmo needs to put it in SnapChat, before awareness goes mainstream… that's a sobering thought!