Subject(s)
Amygdalin/history , Politics , Quackery , History, 20th Century , Public Relations , United StatesSubject(s)
Amygdalin , Legislation, Drug , Amygdalin/history , Amygdalin/pharmacology , Amygdalin/therapeutic use , Amygdalin/toxicity , Chemistry , Drug Evaluation , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Drug and Narcotic Control , Ethics, Medical , History, 20th Century , Humans , Jurisprudence , Mexico , Neoplasms/drug therapy , United StatesABSTRACT
We consider here some of the legal and political background behind today's laetrile controversy. First, we provide a brief historical review of our present food and drug legislation and discuss details of these laws with respect to attempts by laetrile's backers to use the courts in the legalization of this compound. We analyze one case, Rutherford v. United States, that was won in the lower courts by the advocates of laetrile and conclude that the courts may have allowed emotionalism to interfere with the process of rational decision-making. On a larger scale, this emotionalism manifests itself as political pressure that may bring about changes in our food and drug legislation. These changes could loosen restrictions on the effectiveness requirement and result in the sacrifice of consumer protection in favor of making available more drugs, some of them ineffective, from which the patient may choose for treatment.
Subject(s)
Amygdalin , Federal Government , Government Regulation , Legislation, Drug , Amygdalin/history , Amygdalin/standards , Biomedical Research , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Freedom , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Human Rights , Humans , Jurisprudence , Legislation, Drug/history , Personal Autonomy , Pharmaceutical Preparations/standards , United States , United States Food and Drug AdministrationABSTRACT
Amygdalin at various concentrations and with numerous impurities is the most common cyanogenic glycoside found in laetrile samples. Its chemical properties were first described in 1837, and pharmacologic studies have shown that ultimately it is broken down to HCN, benzaldehyde, and glucose by enzymes found in gut bacteria but not intracellularly in humans. Fatal and nonfatal toxicities to orally ingested cyanogenic glycosides have been reported worldwide. We review here the signs and symptoms of acute cyanide toxicity and its treatment. Substantial in-vitro and in-vivo testing in animal tumor systems has shown that amygdalin is entirely devoid of significant anticancer activity. Control animals often have lived longer than those treated with various doses and schedules of amygdalin. Acceptable clinical studies in humans are lacking, but such ventures would appear to be contraindicated from animal studies and observed human toxicities. We also discuss current legal-judicial aspects of laetrile therapy for cancer.
