Promoted by Yugoslavian physician Stevan Durovic, Krebiozen was touted as a miracle cancer cure. It's chief U.S. advocate was Dr. Andrew Ivy, who referenced studies showing amazing recoveries in patients who injected the drug. Announcing the drug at a press conference in 1951, Ivy claimed that of the 22 treated patients, 14 were still alive and that those who had died had died of unrelated causes. Independent researchers, however, were unable to confirm any of the claims and published their concerns in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Ivy claimed that there was a conspiracy against the drug and dismissed the report. Afterward, the Krebiozen Research Foundation was founded by Durovic, with Ivy as president.
In 1959 Ivy began to sell his version under the name Carcalon and by 1963 some 5,000 patients were being treated with the drug. Many were convinced that they would have died without the medication, leading some politicians to begin promoting it. At the time the U.S. Government did not monitor the effectiveness of drugs and, despite mounting evidence that Carcalon was, at best, ineffectual in fighting cancer, they were powerless to take action. Until, that is, the 1961 Thalidamide scare prompted the passage of the U.S. Kefauver Harris Amendment, or "Drug Efficacy Amendment," an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This new law required drug makers to provide proof of effectiveness and safety of drugs and regulated advertising.
The newly empowered FDA set their sites on Carcalon. Despite congressional hearings and cries from the public of the government overstepping their authority, an investigation began. Initial attempts by the National Cancer Institute to procure samples were met with resistance from Durovic, who proposed selling Krebiozen to them for $170,000 per gram. Eventually samples were released for free. Analysis determined that Krebiozen contained mineral oil and creatine monohydrate. Examinations of samples collected prior to that point found that in some the creatine monohydrate was not even present.
As the evidence that the drug was ineffective mounted, public sentiment began to change. Criminal charges were brought against Ivy and others. After eight days of deliberation the defendants were acquitted, though the decision was a legal one and not based on medical facts.
-Professor Walter
sounds like the fda is in bed with bib pharma in us nothing good comes from them only money speakes their lanuage
Posted by: larry | 10/29/2015 at 06:23 AM
You do realize that it was the FDA that pursued and eventually was able to ban this quack treatment? That it wasn't until stricter regulations were in place that they were able to go after people like this, to protect the public from "treatments" that had no efficacy? Literally as soon as the laws changed, they went after the manufacturer, despite the public screaming how it was big government overstepping its bounds. That's sort of the opposite of being "in bed" with them.
Every generation there are loons who think that there's some cure-all alternative medicine. That leads to morons who stick bleach up their child's ass to "cure autism" that they believe was caused by immunizations -- because a quack told them so. At least THIS was harmless. Wouldn't cure you, but also didn't make you shit out intestinal lining that delusional idiots think is "worms."
Posted by: The Wife | 10/30/2015 at 02:05 AM