Bristol Myers' "Third World" Cancer Cure

While Bristol-Myers may think it can convince the citizens of Bangladesh that it's discovered a cure for cancer, consumers in the U.S.- thanks to government regulations- are protected from such misleading claims. In the January 31 issue of the Bangladesh Times the U.S. multinational trumpeted the introduction of CeeNu capsules in the country, and identified the drug as a "life saving anti-cancer" agent, an inaccurate characterization that would not have been permitted in the U.S.

When the Monitor received a copy of the ad, we immediately turned to the Physicians' Desk' Reference ([DR), an authoritative directory of vital information on drugs sold in the U.S. CeeNu's PDR entry paints a picture far different from Bristol-Myers' claims. The drug is of extremely limited effectiveness and can generate deadly adverse reactions. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration recommends that specially-trained doctors- numbering only several hundred in the entire country -administer it as a secondary therapy for two specific forms of cancer: brain tumors and Hodgkin's disease. Bristol-Myers' ads for the drug in U.S. medical journals run to two full pages, and include a detailed account of hazards associated with its use.

Milton Ellis, a Bristol-Myers official, expressed alarm at the ad. Labelling it "a little more aggressive than what we normally print" and "very inappropriate," Ellis pledged to identify those responsible saying "I'm interested in investigating who could be running an ad like this."

Ellis explains that while Bristol-Myers operates 103 wholly-owned subsidiaries around the world, it is relatively new to the international "cancer business." Each subsidiary has free reign over marketing, and does not have to clear promotion campaigns with company headquarters. "A lot of our marketers are inexperienced in promoting these products," he says.

Officials at the Bangladesh Embassy in the U.S. are not moved by Bristol-Myers' "inexperience." Ambassador Tubarak Hussain has sent the ad, along with CeeNu's PDR description, to Bangladesh via diplomatic pouch for review by the country's medical board. "This will be taken very seriously in Bangladesh," emphasizes Mahubul Alam, counsellor officer at the embassy.

- Leslie Wolf