PC-SPES lessons
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Investigators studying herbals "should consider regular quality control evaluations" by independent labs in wake of contamination saga, NCI Office of Cancer & Complementary & Alternative Medicine Director Jeffrey White, MD, advises in Sept. 4 Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Editorial accompanies article by U.S./Czech team reporting presence of diethylstilbestrol, indomethacin in BotanicLab supplement manufactured from 1996 through mid-2001; warfarin was found in lots produced after July 1998. Diethylstilbestrol, indomethacin levels gradually declined after mid-1999, coinciding with "twofold to sixfold" drop in PC-SPES' antineoplastic potency. Origin of three synthetic drugs is "puzzling," researchers say. Preliminary findings were released in April (1"The Tan Sheet" April 15, 2002, p. 15)...