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Guy Montag, E-451's avatar

Phil, thanks for covering this. A couple of weeks ago I watched the video (and read the news coverage) and noticed the same points you covered in your post. I was planning on trying to pass it on to somebody (perhaps Jimmy Dore, who just dropped a video discussing this TOGETHER trial a few days ago. A while back, he ripped into Andrew Hill for his hypocrisy. I'd love it if he ripped into Ed Mills as well!).

Here's the link to Ed Mills discussing the TOGETHER trial (Grand Rounds Rethinking Clinical Trials 03-18-2022), and my rough notes with time stamps (includes some other points not covered in your post). Mills was a bit disingenuous when discussing funding & why the study was stopped early:

https://rethinkingclinicaltrials.org/news/grand-rounds-march-18-early-treatment-of-covid-19-the-together-adaptive-platform-trial-edward-mills-phd-frcp-craig-rayner-pharmd/

From Ed Mills Presentation:

??:?? Discussed theory used to set low IVM dosage. Acknowledges that more effective with meals, but gave fasting so matches label? [Why not use higher does & duration practitioner's were using for Gamma?]

28:36 Wondered what would have happened if had kept randomizing? Changed things? I don't know. Waiting for other trials.

29:31 If more randomized; hospitalization changed to significant? Entirely possible.

29:45 IVM not a safety concern

30:44 Cannot rule out small treatment effect. Answer not yet conclusive. Subgroup within trial possibly antiparasitic [see other March '22 JAMA paper] which responsible for effect.

From Q & A:

32:50 “No significant effect. Doesn't mean anything. Low confidence interval, Stopped too early? “ : I totally agree.

I don't call shots when to stop trial [really?] The DSMV decides [later hes says they make recommendation to the steering committee that Mills is on!] ]

Funding issue; 32 year old [billionaire!] was funding, limited resources [? With Billionaire?]. We were being abused by community, I lost interest because of attacks receiving.

35:50 Lessons. $4M, little money. $500B NIH trials ACTIV. Maybe IVM had 10% effect, no better than Fluvoxamine 30%. How much genuine interest in using repurposed drugs? Didn't get picked up by [IDSA,NIH,CDC/WHO] guidelines, why is that?

38:20 “Dosing? Want to take best shot using a high dose with a 1-arm treatment. Avoids the 'wasn't enough' question.”: Mills doesn't answer question.

45:40 DSMV parameters for stopping?: Rules in plan published. They followed the plan [really?] provided to them. Public pressure. If not for pressure, would have discontinued IVM. They can do what they like in making recommendations to the steering committee [of which Mills was a member; this committee makes the decision?].

56:54 Political. Zealots, opposite too, making fun. Nobody was right about that. How come back together?

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webstersmill's avatar

Thank you, Phil. You are generous in ascribing the title of “Journalists” to those “engaged weeks prior to ‘launch’“. Complicit shills doing the bidding of their pimps. Can remember the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate Scandal. Apparently many professing independent journalism have found the bottom of the slippery slope and morphed into corporate media.

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