this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2024
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Not actually. This doesn't do anything for most normal people. It's for people who didn't properly have a normal 2nd set of teeth. So if you just had your "adult" set of teeth go bad, this won't help you.
*After doing a little more research, my above statement is correct. This drug only inhibits the protein that people with congenital anodontia have, so those people are able to start growing teeth. Less than 1% of people have congenital anodontia.
The little mention in the article about it leading to growing teeth in people who have lost them due to cavities (as the person with all the upvotes that replied to me here) is complete hyperbole in the article. This protein suppression medication can't work on someone with a normal protein. It was just mentioned as fluff to get more press about "future possibilities".
The article says that they hope to regrow teeth for people who have lost their teeth to cavities, and the initial test is being done on adults who have lost back teeth. So pretty much the exact target audience you say it wouldn't target.
It's really weird though. Why specify that you're targeting specifically kids with a disorder when your treatment is being tested on adults, and would work on any adult who has lost teeth for any reason?
Speculating, but probably because kids without any teeth and a genetic basis of that disease would pay for this treatment out of medical coverage, not dental coverage, at least in the US, and getting it approved for specifically that indication is easier, faster, and likely higher profit than the admittedly larger population but smaller insured availability of funds that would be the dental market.
Markets shouldn’t drive drug research, public health benefit should, but shrugs
Good thought, but it looks like they're a Japanese team conducting trials in Japan, so the US excuse for an insurance system shouldn't be a factor? IDK
Quick search tells me that they have a national dental plan that covers 70%, but has limits on which procedures materials etc are covered. In other words, they may not cover this procedure if it’s more expensive than a traditional implant.
Additionally, there’s harmonization efforts between Japan and the US FDA; if fully expect they’re running clinical trials in JP with hopes for a later release abroad, and the US is a huge market so they’d still be angling that I’d think.