And two patients with a similar Gleason score and clinical history may have very different outcomes.

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RxAnte has drilled so far through two years of claims data, such as age, sex, race, and clinical history, and assigned individual patients a score which predicts their likelihood of adherence.

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For instance, those with a history of clinical depression and thus are at higher risk of post-partum depression who took 800 milligrams of fish oil daily lowered their risk of getting depressed after the birth by about 4% compared with those who didn't take fish oil.

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And even if a natural-history study leads to a clinical trial for a treatment, there is no guarantee the same children will be allowed to participate.

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If a therapy eventually is developed, and a clinical trial begins, a natural-history study can be used to help evaluate whether it is working to slow or stop the disease.

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Olestra is the most tested food substance in history, having undergone more animal studies and human clinical trials than most prescription drugs.

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The rarity of this stems from a long history of consolidation, but also confers on Regeneron a higher probability of clinical success.

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Dr. Green is heading a new clinical trial involving 200 people, half of whom have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a family history of the disorder.

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