The pharmaceutical industry has discovered another 'wonder drug', or in this case, two drugs that in combination produces 'miracle' results. We have heard it before, of course. Indeed, we hear it regularly.
This time it is Melanoma patients (an aggressive skin cancer) that will 'benefit' According to BBC News (and the rest of the mainstream media all of whom, as usual, have regurgitatied the promotional material of the pharmaceutical industry) if will offer
This time it is Melanoma patients (an aggressive skin cancer) that will 'benefit' According to BBC News (and the rest of the mainstream media all of whom, as usual, have regurgitatied the promotional material of the pharmaceutical industry) if will offer
- targeted treatment for melanoma, free on the NHS
- The drug (or rather the combination of two drugs) "has been shown to improve the survival of people with stage III melanoma, with a particular mutation".
- A skin cancer charity (probably one of those heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry) is quoted say that "making the treatment available on the NHS was a huge step forward".
The two drugs are (i) Dabrafenib, and (ii) Trametinib. They are MEK inhibitor drugs that have been around for several years, and their side effects are already well known. The BBC article mentions them briefly, in passing; it says they cause 'fatigue and nausea'. The truth, which is largely unknown to most of our mainstream media, is rather different.
The 'commonly reported' side effects of Dabrafenib, as outlined by Drugs.com are squamous cell carcinoma, fever, and hyperglycemia. but they also mention a long list of others, including bleeding gums, bloody or cloudy urine, blurred vision, coughing up blood, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, dizziness, dry mouth, fever, flushed, dry skin, fruit-like breath odour, greatly decreased frequency of urination or amount of urine, headache, increased hunger, increased thirst, increased urination, lump or growth on the skin, nausea, nosebleed, prolonged bleeding from cuts, red or dark brown urine, red or black, tarry stools, redness, swelling, or pain of the skin, scaling of the skin on the hands and feet, skin blisters, skin rash, stomach pain, sweating, swelling of the feet or lower legs, tingling of the hands and feet, ulceration of the skin, unable to move, unexplained weight loss, unusual tiredness or weakness and vomiting.
Drugs.com is a website owned and controlled by pharmaceutical company interests, so it will admit only to side effects that have been proven beyond doubt and denial.
The side effects of Trametinib, reported by Drugs.com, are no less scary. Again, it says that 'commonly reported' side effects include: acneiform eruption, cardiomyopathy, decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, dermatitis, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, skin rash, erythema, plus cardiac failure. It then lists this comprehensive list of adverse effects, which include bleeding from the rectum or bloody stools, bleeding gums, blemishes on the skin, blistering, crusting, irritation, itching, or reddening of the skin, bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet, bloody nose, blurred vision, chest discomfort or pain, cracked, dry, or scaly skin, coughing up blood, decreased urine output, diarrhoea, difficulty with breathing or swallowing, dilated neck veins, dizziness, extreme fatigue, faintness, fast, slow, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, headache, increased menstrual flow or vaginal bleeding, irregular breathing, irregular heartbeat, lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting, nervousness, nosebleeds, paralysis, pimples, pounding in the ears, prolonged bleeding from cuts, rapid weight gain, rash, red or black, tarry stools, red or dark brown urine, redness, swelling, or pain of the skin, scaling of the skin on the hands and feet, tightness in the chest, tingling of the hands and feet, ulceration of the skin, unusual tiredness or weakness, and unusual weight gain or loss
Nothing is mentioned (that I can find) which deals with the side effects of these two drugs - in combination. Perhaps they are not known yet!
Conventional medicine always discounts the serious side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. For both these drugs the website Drugs.com says that "along with its needed effects" the drugs "may cause some unwanted effects", but cheerily tells us that "not all of these side effects may occur" but that "if they do occur they may need medical attention".
So these are the two drugs providing this 'big step forward'. So what exactly is this miracle they create together? According to BBC News it is based on a clinical trial of more than 800 patients, and was found a lower the risk of the cancer recurring. We are told that 3 years after surgery, 58% of this group survived, with no relapse compared to 39% of the placebo group.
What does this mean? It means that for ever 100 patients, the drug helps 19 people. A further 39 would not have had a recurrence. And 42 died anyway. There is no mention of the loss of life-quality of the 19 patients, or the 39 who did not need the drugs anyway.
Homeopathy and Melanoma
And, of course, there is no mention of other medical therapies that might be safer, and more effective in treating melanoma. For instance, in 2010, Brazilian researchers have investigated the effects a combination of homeopathic remedies on cancer cells. Their research showed they
(i) Prevented melanoma and bowel cancer cells from invading or sticking to the cells and tissues that surrounded them
(ii) Improved the immune system’s ability to kill cancer cells, and
(iii) Caused cancerous melanoma tumours to shrink or become dormant
- Patients are not supposed to know this!
- The media certainly won't tell you.
- Conventional doctors won't mention it, they prefer to prescribe dangerous (and largely ineffective) drugs that are known to cause patient harm.
- And clearly they won't tell you about the extent of the harm pharmaceutical drugs, wonder drugs, miracle cures, can cause either.
