Brazil’s controversial cancer pill fares poorly in tests

Rio de Janeiro, Mar 22 (EFE). — A controversial cancer treatment has shown low rates of effectiveness in initial tests conducted by the Brazilian government.

Synthetic phosphorylethanolamine, developed by a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, gained a reputation as a miracle drug and was distributed at no cost for more than a decade until health authorities banned it, citing the lack of regulatory approval.

The ban prompted cancer patients to file lawsuits demanding access to the drug and a number of judges have ruled in favor of plaintiffs, ordering USP to deliver the substance.

Last November, under pressure from Congress and the public, the government announced it would spend 10 million reais ($2.7 million) on laboratory and animal testing to determine the medication’s efficacy and safety.

The initial results did not meet the high expectations generated by earlier claims, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry said on the Web site it created to report on the testing process.

The compound proved to be less effective against cancer than some established anticancer drugs.

One test showed that the compound produced by USP contains only 32.2 percent of phosphorylethanolamine, the ostensible active ingredient.

The Health Ministry has urged patients to stop using the substance pending completion of the testing process and to continue traditional treatments for cancer.