Pembrolizumab (keytruda): another "safe and effective wonder drug"! So what is causing the cancer epidemic?

I am reporting on news of yet another pharmaceutical "wonder drug" This drug is called Pembrolizumab, it "melts away" tumours, and "triples the chance of survival for the 10-15% of patients with the right genetic make-up". It was reported in the Guardian on 3 June 2024, and (as usual) on several other mainstream news sources.

It is the usual reporting by the mainstream media, anxious to let us know that the pharmaceutical industry (a major source of funding for them) is winning its battle against disease, and cancer in particular. Such reports provides the industry with free advertising and promotion, worth £$millions. All the reports appear to have an identical source - no doubt a 'press release' from the drug company. They describe the drug, also known Keytroda, as:

            "A 'gamechanger' immunotherapy drug that 'melts away' tumours dramatically increases the chances of curing some bowel cancers and may even replace the need for surgery, doctors have said".

All the articles make all the usual pharmaceutical claims for a new "wonder drug". Click on the links to read them for yourself. But one claim, by the trial's chief investigator, and consultant medical oncologist, is worth repeating here - the drug is "safe and effective". Of course it is! All pharmaceutical drugs are - until they are found not to be.

            “Our results indicate that pembrolizumab is a safe and highly effective treatment to improve outcomes in patients with high-risk bowel cancers, increasing the chances of curing the disease at an early stage”.

I make my usual sceptical observation, which is based on the performance of past "wonder drugs" - let us wait and see. 

Another article that appears in the same Guardian webpage today seems to indicate how well conventional medicine is doing in the treatment of cancer. "Cancer rates among under-50's in the UK have risen 24% since 1995, figures show". Cancer was once considered a disease of older age. It is no longer so. The article demonstrates that the increase is "sharper than in any age group" and we are told (by experts!) that the increases "likely linked to obesity levels, junk food and inactivity".

What these medical 'experts' must also know, but choose not to tell us, is that cancer is also known to be caused by many, if not most, pharmaceutical drugs. But this, of course, is not mentioned. 

It is on this basis that I predict that pembrolizumab (keytruda) will prove to be neither safe or effective, and indeed may well be withdrawn in a number of years time because of this.

Watch this space for updates!

 

Obesity. A new breakthrough treatment? Or the promotion of another failed and unsafe drug with serious known side effects?

Earlier this month another new 'wonder drug' was announced in the mainstream media (MSM), who provide advertising for the pharmaceutical industry, free of charge. BBC News set the general tone with its headline.cons

"Obesity: Appetite drug could mark 'new era' in tackling condition"

The problem with these pharmaceutical news releases, dutifully repeated by the MSM, is that they invariably come to nothing. The 'new era' does not happen.

Nor are the known adverse drug reactions. Perhaps there is a mention of some minor side effects later in the article. The drug referred to here is semaglutide (marketed as Wygovy or Ozempic, et al). It's not a new drug. It has a long list of serious side effects but these are glossed over. On this link there is a clear warning at the top of the page, there are side effects that you need to 'check with your doctor', and a very long list of known adverse reactions that go far beyond the nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation the BBC article chooses to mention.

But no matter, The intended message is that conventional medicine has discovered yet another new treatment for a very serious problem. We are reminded not only of this, but the fact that obesity can lead to much more serious outcomes, including heart disease, diabetes and severe Covid-19. So provide warnings of the consequences of the condition, whilst emphasising the 'game changing' effects of the drug. It is an advertising strategy designed to produce queues at the doctors surgery.

When this drug strategy works, when or if the obesity epidemic is reduced by semaglutide (Wygogy, Ozempic), I will return to this subject. I will also return to it when (or if) the drug is withdrawn or banned - because it has caused more serious patient harm than even the drug companies are able to justify.

Canakinumab. A New Wonder Drug! Promoted by the mainstream media

The mainstream media, urged on by their pharmaceutical sponsors, have announced that the drug Canakinumab is a new wonder drug. This Telegraph headline gives a flavour of what the pharmaceutical industry wants us to know. 

"New wonder drug hailed as biggest breakthrough in fight against heart attacks and cancer".

Wonderful news, except that regular readers of this blog will probably know that I am not over-impressed with such claims. During the last 60 years we have been deluged with similar claims for a wide variety of new drugs that have never materialised. Even their most success drugs are now failing - painkillers are too dangerous for doctors to prescribe - antibiotics are becoming increasingly unable to kill bugs which are now largely resistant to them, and so on. And we now face epidemics of chronic disease, largely as a result of the side effects and adverse reactions to these same drugs.

The drug costs £40,000 per patient per year! Yet, as usual, there is no mention that the new wonder drug might cause serious side effects. But of course, it does, and these are outlined on the Drugs.com website. It starts with a warning. 

               "Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug." (My emphasis).

So patients are advised to contact their doctor, and get medical help immediately if any of the following side effects are experienced.

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever
• Wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of infection like fever, chills, very bad sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, pain with passing urine, mouth sores, or wound that will not heal.
• Cough that does not go away.
• Weight loss.
• Dizziness or passing out.
• Very bad irritation where the shot was given.
• Trouble swallowing.
• Very upset stomach or throwing up.
• A heartbeat that does not feel normal.
• A very bad and sometimes deadly problem called Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) may rarely happen in people with juvenile arthritis.

Canakinum is also known to cause headache, stomach pain, upset stomach or throwing up, diarrhoea, muscle pain. weight gain, sore throat, runny nose, and flu-like signs.

If the mainstream media was motivated, in any way, to protect patients from iatrogenic harm as they clearly are to promote pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, they may have wanted to take time to read, and mention these problems associated with this new wonder drug to their readers!

Regular readers will also know that I don't always report on them (it would become somewhat boring and monotonous), but there are reasons for doing so in this case. I went on to read some of the comments made on the Telegraph article. They are interesting, and you should read them too! They are almost entirely cynical about the article, to say the very least. It shows that people are beginning to realise that the tactic of announcing a new 'wonder drug' is a marketing ploy, one which never materialises! 

Perhaps the mainstream media might also read the comments, and learn from them. Their promotion of pharmaceutical drugs is meeting reasoned and thoughtful resistance. Continuing to promote pharmaceutical drugs is damaging the credibility of the press and media with the public.

• Here are just a few of the comments. First, a quotation from The New England Journal of Medicine:

     "Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P=0.31)."

So no real benefit in terms of improved longevity compared to a sugar pill; dead is still dead, regardless of cause. Certainly not worth £40,000 per year.

• Hmm. Stains do not have a sound record but I do hope this new product will really help those that need it. Each year, it is suggested by my GP that I take up Statins. I always refuse because I am not vulnerable to heart attacks and my parent never suffered from them . Furthermore, my Cholesterol and Triglycerides readings when taken, are below alert  levels. So why am I so encouraged? Because they will help me. I cannot resist the thought that NICE who promote the prescription of this drug, are paid a commission on sales. I believe the Global annual sales of Statins now exceed $50 Billions per year and that is one big incentive to push the product.

• BTW did you kniow that cancer is now a  $125 Billions per year Industry? In the USA alone? With that sort of income, why would anyone want to create a cure?

• Oh dear, a monoclonal antibody therapy. 1 vial of 150 mg costs 9927.80 quid. I cannot see NICE paying for it. Not four times per year per patient. We shall see.

• Another week - another wonder drug you'll never hear about again. The establishment don't really want you to have 'wonder drugs' that work. Although they are quite happy for you to have 'wonder drugs' with bad side effects - like statins. What on earth benefit does it have to them to help OAP's to continue to live longer by giving them expensive life prolonging drugs? 

• Not again!

• Hold on I am sure I read about the wonder drug interleukin decades ago.

• The non mainstream healthcare sector has believed for years that inflammation can cause major health issue. There is evidence linking inflammation to insulin resistance and obesity yet this is often ignore by the protectionist medical industry. Look at Linus Paulings Vic C, and Lysene protocol for reducing cholesterol and heart failure. Totally ignored by mainstream medicine because there is simply no profit in it. The possibility that inexpressive, uncontrolled substances may eliminate the need for complex 8 hour operations and months of expensive drugs doesn't sit well with those who provide the drugs and carry out the operations.

• The Wikipedia article on canakinumab says, 'On Aug 27, 2017 the results of the CANTOS trial were announced ... CANTOS saw a 15% reduction in deaths from heart attacks, stroke and cardiovascular disease combined. CANTOS also observed serious side-effects, and no overall survival benefit.'. Presumably then you're less likely to die of the things they're trying to treat, but more likely to die of the side-effects, and the two approximately cancel each other out.

• Everyone has to die of something eventually. I am 78, and just about the only one of my large group of friends not on medication. Many of them take statins, among other things. My doctor has tried, numerous times, to get me on them in spite of my cholesterol, blood pressure and heart all being perfectly fine. I have had a chest x-ray and blood tests recently, due to a chest infection. All the results were ok. I would rather die quickly of a heart attack, or fairly quickly of cancer than linger into old age and end up sitting in a nursing home with dementia and wasting my childrens' rather small inheritance on fees. I have always had a healthy suspicion of taking medication, and of the drug companies who make a fortune from pushing it. I lead a fairly active life, and will only take something if my GP can convince me that it is really needed. MY plan is to go out with a bang, not a whimper! Fingers crossed that I manage it!

• Actually what many Doctors won't tell you is that HIGH Cholesterol in the elderly is associated with ''longevity''! I'm reminded of a woman in America who had a cholesterol reading of 15 points (uk) which is approximately 3 times the guideline of about 5. Almost forgot. She was active, sharp, and ''105 years old''.

• It's an anti-inflammatory which works by knocking out the immune system. Use very carefully!

• Biggest breakthrough since STATINS eh! Shoot yourself in the foot why don't cha! Red rag to a bull time, so here we go ... Let's be clear. In spite of all the HYPE concerning STATINS they have NEVER been shown to prevent Heart-Disease or Heart Attacks, or even prevent a single Death ... And yet with the help of a corrupt culture of medical disinformation and a superb advertising campaign they are a 30 billion dollar a year industry. But perhaps far more worrying, Statins are increasingly linked to all manner of health problems, from Cancer to Alzheimer's and ironically to the one most common to all ... PREMATURE AGING. And somewhat strange that a suspect band of ?Experts? are at now odds with so many GP's and for that matter, even the literature of Lipitor the no1 best selling Statin drug in the world, which states .... ''Lipitor does not prevent heart disease or heart attacks''! ...... So why is it being prescribed on such vast scales, by so many medical practitioners .... ? Corruption?

• Hmm...... biggest breakthrough since statins. There is still alot of controversy regarding statins and even the medical profession can't agree with each other. I know plenty of people who have stopped taking these meds due to serious side affects, including memory loss. The pharmaceutical companies obviously want to push these drugs because of increased profits. I stopped taking statins due to serious side affects and feel alot better off them. Regarding this new drug, l hope it lives up to expectations.

• Why do I greet such headlines with a degree of cynicism? I suppose it's a bit like the reverse crying wolf.

• 200 000 people  x 40000 Pounds equals eight billion pounds per annum. Can't see this happening soon.

• Did someone buy some Novartis shares on Friday?

• OR, you could just include turmeric in your daily diet ritual which has proven anti-inflammatory properties without an injection or side effects.

• I would also advise the DT to read more widely on whether this is truly a wonder drug.  The NEJM's editorial concludes with the following sentence, "the modest absolute clinical benefit of canakinumab cannot justify its routine use in patients with previous myocardial infarction until we understand more about the efficacy and safety trade-offs and unless a price restructuring and formal cost-effectiveness evaluation supports it."

• Probably why they're interested in the further cancer research - I believe that if you find a new treatment for an existing drug, the patent clock is either restarted, or at least elongated.

New Wonder Drug for Cancer (or is it really that good?)

There is a new miracle drug treatment for cancer! This is wonderful news. Medical science is winning its battle against this dreadful disease. And we can believe this good news because it has been proven by randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which are considered to be the 'gold standard' of proof of the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs according to many, including the industry itself, and supporters of the industry like 'Sense about Science'.

Of course the mainstream media are ecstatic with the news, and over the weekend they have heralded the new wonder drug with great acclaim. BBC News said that:

               "An immunotherapy drug has been described as a potential "game-changer." 

The Guardian said:

               "An immunotherapy drug hailed as a potential gamechanger in the treatment of cancer could soon offer new hope to patients with currently untreatable forms of the disease."

The Mail Online headline stated:

               "New drug hailed a 'game changer' for cancer patients."

So the drug is clearly a 'game changer'! Strange that all three media organisations used the same description! Well, perhaps not. Other parts of the media used the same phrase too. And indeed they all appeared to be using the same 'facts' and 'statistics'.

A coincidence perhaps? Or, more likely, was this our mainstream media doing what they always do - receive a press release from the conventional medical establishment highlight its new 'game-changing' breakthroughs - and slavishly and uncritically re-writing it?

I can suggest that it is likely to be the latter, not least because the same news, the same headlines, all with identical information, published by the same media organisations, landed on our breakfast tables on 1st June 2015.

               "Cancer drug combination 'shrinks 60% of melanomas." (BBC News).

               "Cancer trial of drug combination yields 'spectacular' results." (The Guardian).

               "New era in the war on cancer: Revolutionary treatment that will save thousands hailed as 'biggest breakthrough since chemotherapy." (Daily Mail).

And I must offer an apology to the BBC, Guardian and Mail, as every other mainstream media outlet in Britain carried the same news, with the same information, on the same days. They are not alone in their slavish and uncritical adherence, both in the heralding of these 'good news' stories like this, and the censorship of 'bad news' stories about the ongoing failures of the conventional medical health system.

Private news organisations are, of course, heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry, and perhaps this is the price we, as patients, have to pay for their ongoing advertising largesse. And the directors and board members of international news organisations and the international pharmaceutical companies share the same similarity with the published news stories on health.

So the general public is informed about health, and this is what it knows.

• Pharmaceutical drugs are winning the battle against cancer.
• Medical science has once again stumbled on a new wonder drug.
• Help for Cancer sufferers is imminently available.

So the new drug is a potential 'game changer' because "more patients taking nivolumab survived for longer compared with those who were treated with chemotherapy", "combining nivolumab with another drug shrank tumours in advanced kidney cancer patients", the immunotherapy drug "works by harnessing the immune system to destroy cancer cells", and that "patients also experienced fewer side effects from immunotherapy" . Moreover, "patients survived an average of 9.1 months with nivolumab and 4.4 months with chemotherapy", that "this group of patients, with advanced or treatment-resistant tumours, are expected to live less than six months", and that "of these patients, one in 10 had no sign of cancer remaining".

And so the good news continues. We might ask, and indeed many people bombarded with this information probably did, what more can we ask for?

Well, perhaps we could ask for a history lesson. After all, this is not the first 'wonder drug', the first 'miracle cure', the first 'game changer', the first medical breakthrough we have been told about during the last 100 years. Think about Valium, Prozac, Viagra, Statins, and many, many more - all heralded in much the same way - a miraculous cure, with no side effects. Most of them have turned out to be addictive, or ineffective, or dangerous. Many had been heavily restricted, withdrawn or even banned for these reasons.

I have blogged before on the typical life-history of pharmaceutical drugs, passing from birth, through childhood, adulthood, old age, and then death! Here, apparently, is the birth of yet another one!

The media coverage then parades numerous leading conventional medical experts, figures from patient support groups, and from medical charities, et al., all emphasising what a breakthrough this pharmaceutical drug is. These are predictable, 'off-the-shelf' articles, formulaic to the extreme. And down at the very bottom are some initial warnings.

Well, in this particular 'good news' story, ever these initial warnings seem to be absent. So, too, is any indication of the cost of this new ground-breaking treatment. Perhaps it was not included in the pharmaceutical companies news release, and perhaps, in their hurry to tell us, journalists completely forgot to investigate. So let's be clear, we are, apparently, talking about an annual cost for each individual of tens of thousands of pounds!

The mainstream media were also predictably unhelpful about the known side effects of Nivolumab. These are outlined in the Drugs.com website, which took me about 30 seconds to research! There, we are warned to seek medical attention, right away, if any of these SEVERE side effects occur:

               "Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); chest pain; severe muscle weakness; severe or persistent muscle or joint pain; swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; symptoms of electrolyte problems (eg, confusion; irregular heartbeat; mental or mood changes; seizures; severe or persistent diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting; severe muscle pain or weakness); symptoms of kidney problems (eg, unable to pass urine, change in the amount of urine passed, blood in the urine, a big weight gain, swelling in your ankles); symptoms of liver problems (eg, dark urine, pale stools, persistent loss of appetite, right-sided stomach pain, severe nausea or vomiting, unusual bruising or bleeding, unusual tiredness, yellowing of the skin or eyes); symptoms of thyroid or pituitary gland problems (eg, constipation, decreased sex drive, deeper voice, dizziness, fainting, feeling cold, hair loss, mood or behavior changes, severe or persistent headache, severe tiredness, weight changes); unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision changes."

Reading this makes me think that the 'good news' is more about the reputation of the conventional medical profession, and the profits of the pharmaceutical industry. It makes me wonder when the mainstream media will bother to tell about this important information about this drug, currently in its childhood; will in be in its adulthood, its old age, or after its death. I wonder whether doctors, when they are prescribing these 'game changing' drugs, will ever bother to tell their patients. Most of all I wonder how many people are raising their hopes about this new drug, and how many patients will suffer the consequences of Nivolumab?

I also wonder when we are all going to be told by our doctors that one of the biggest causes of cancer is pharmaceutical drugs?

And I wonder when the mainstream media will wise up to the fact that the conventional medical establishment always over-hypes the benefits of its drugs, and under-report their known serious, and often life threatening side effects ?