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posted by CoolHand on Friday August 19 2016, @05:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the drugs-aren't-always-good dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes in with a story on the misuse of a drug based on Bromopyruvic acid:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/candidate-cancer-drug-suspected-after-death-three-patients-alternative-medicine-clinic

The drug in question, 3-Bromopyruvate (3BP), has been hailed by some researchers as a potential breakthrough, but so far the only human data about its efficacy and safety are anecdotal. Many scientists say the drug should not be administered to patients except in carefully controlled experimental settings. If the link to the three deaths is confirmed, that could cloud 3BP's commercial prospects.

[...] Media reports suggest that cancer patients often sought Ross's help after they ran out of conventional therapy options, or to avoid aggressive chemotherapy. He offered a 10-week "basic therapy" against cancer for €9900 ($11,057).

On his website, Ross touted 3BP as "currently the best compound to treat tumors."

[...] 3BP has yet to undergo formal clinical trials. PreScience Labs, a U.S. company founded by Geschwind, received approval for a phase I study from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2013. Geschwind says the trial has yet to start because the company needs partners to finance it.

[...] Eugen Brysch, head of the German Foundation for Patient Rights in Dortmund, says that the government should regulate practitioners of alternative medicine more strictly. "Creativity in therapy must not negatively affect patent safety,"

Additional links for the story:

Commentary from Dr. Lowe - http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2016/08/17/3-bromopyruvate-what-a-mess

Lots of extra information from Science-Based Medicine:

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/3-bromopyruvate-the-latest-cancer-cure-they-dont-want-you-to-know-about/


Original Submission #1Original Submission #2

 
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  • (Score: 4, Touché) by JNCF on Friday August 19 2016, @07:14PM

    by JNCF (4317) on Friday August 19 2016, @07:14PM (#390219) Journal

    I hope I would be able to make the rational decision to follow the advice of board-certified physician, even if he had "killed" dozens while providing them with care.

    And I hope I would be able to make any decision I wanted, regardless of how rational other people thought it to be. Conventional medicine, alternative medicine, atavistic chanting and animal sacrifice to the Elder Gods, outright suicide -- that's for future-me to decide.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @07:28PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @07:28PM (#390224)

    How about when your mom buys prayer therapy for your dad's cancer and then moves in with you after he dies completely broke?

    • (Score: 2) by sjames on Friday August 19 2016, @07:35PM

      by sjames (2882) on Friday August 19 2016, @07:35PM (#390228) Journal

      And that differs from buying approved chemotherapy and he dies completely broke how?

      Some are actually quite effective. Others have a vanishingly tiny cure rate (or even no known remissions) and cost $65000 per treatment.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JNCF on Friday August 19 2016, @07:39PM

      by JNCF (4317) on Friday August 19 2016, @07:39PM (#390229) Journal

      My dad got his cancer treated at the Mayo clinic, actually. But if he went crazy and died a bad death, I would be both sad that he had to suffer unnecessarily and glad that he had the option to do so. I knew an old man who waited too long to before seeking professional treatment, and that is how I felt about the ordeal afterward. Reality is complicated.

      My mom would be welcome to move in, but I don't think that children should feel an obligation to take care of elderly parents. Queefing somebody into the world without their consent doesn't make them indebted them to you. My mom is cool though, she can kick it.

      • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @08:55PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 19 2016, @08:55PM (#390279)

        Are you going to pick up your clean laundry today?

        • (Score: 3, Touché) by JNCF on Friday August 19 2016, @09:15PM

          by JNCF (4317) on Friday August 19 2016, @09:15PM (#390297) Journal

          Are you going to pick up your clean laundry today?

          Nah, mom is gonna bring it down the basement stairs when she gets back with my tendies. [knowyourmeme.com] I washed two loads of dishes yesterday, so she owes me some good boy points.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @02:51AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @02:51AM (#390405)

      That's one of my favorites from www.asstr..org.