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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: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Friday August 19 2016, @11:53PM

    by butthurt (6141) on Friday August 19 2016, @11:53PM (#390343) Journal

    > many treatments are still used despite having been shown to be indistinguishable from a placebo.

    This happens in conventional medicine, too. E.g.:

    Our findings suggest that regular or as-needed dosing with paracetamol does not affect recovery time compared with placebo in low-back pain, and question the universal endorsement of paracetamol in this patient group.

    http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60805-9/abstract [thelancet.com]

    Science-based medicine, as was famously said of Western civilisation, "would be a very good idea."

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