How We Are Blessed in the West

And why real research and high standards, at places like Dana-Farber, are key. From today's WSJ (subscription required):

Last June, Yan Zhenni, a 5-year-old with leukemia from Shanghai, received a shot of the anticancer medication methotrexate. But the drug meant to treat her left her incontinent and unable to walk on her own, her mother says.

Possibly dozens of patients across China who took the drug from the same Chinese factory had similar problems. The drug's manufacturer initially said the reactions might be a side effect of the medication. Later, government officials investigating reports of problems with the drug discovered the medicine had been contaminated, blamed its maker for a coverup and revoked the factory's license to make the drug.

"We were so hopeful that she would recover from leukemia eventually. The chances were very good. But now even walking has become a problem," says 28-year-old Ms. Yan, who took a leave from her job at an auto-parts factory to care for her daughter.