Phosphorylethanolamine

Effectiveness

As a potential drug, phosphorylethanolamine has undergone human clinical trials. These were halted when no evidence of benefit was found.

Edzard Ernst has called phosphorylethanolamine "the most peculiar case of Brazilian quackery".

Legality

There has been ongoing controversy and litigation in Brazil with regard to its use as a cancer treatment without approval by the National Health Surveillance Agency. For years, Gilberto Chierice, a Chemistry Professor at the São Carlos campus of the University of São Paulo, used resources from a campus laboratory to unofficially manufacture, distribute, and promote the drug to cancer patients without it having gone through clinical testing. In September 2015, university administrators began preventing the Professor from continuing with this practice. In October 2015, several courts in Brazil ruled in favor of plaintiffs who wanted the right to try the compound. However, a state court overturned the lower courts' decision a month later. Jailson Bittencourt de Andrade, secretary for Brazil's science and technology ministry, said the ministry plans to fund further research on the compound, but that it will be years before a determination can be made about phosphorylethanolamine's safety and efficacy in humans.

On April 14, 2016, a law was passed in Brazil allowing the use of synthetic phosphorylethanolamine for cancer treatment, despite opposition from the Brazilian Medical Association, the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology, and the regulatory agency Anvisa. However, shortly after, the country's Supreme Court suspended the law.

References

Additional images

Image:Phosphate Group.svg|Phosphate Image:Ethanolamine.svg|Ethanolamine

References

1. Myller, AT. (2010). "Preparation of aminofunctionalized TiO2 surfaces by binding of organophosphates". Applied Surface Science.
2. (31 March 2017). "Fosfoetanolamina: Instituto do Câncer suspende novos testes devido a 'ausência de benefício clínico significativo'".
3. Edzard Ernst. (28 November 2018). "The amazing story of a Brazilian cancer 'cure'".
4. Heidi Ledford. (24 November 2015). "Brazilian courts tussle over unproven cancer treatment". Nature.
5. (2016). "Brazil bill would legalize renegade cancer pill". Science.
6. (2016). "Brazil president signs law legalizing renegade cancer pill". Science.
7. (2016). "Threat posed by unproven drugs in medical oncology". ESMO Open.
8. (25 July 2016). "Human tests start on controversial Brazil cancer pill".