Take a bow Schering Plough. You've made junk science history.
Recently, (junk) scientists from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced that the chemical phenolphthalein may cause cancer. This announcement was news because phenolphthalein is used in Ex-Lax, the popular laxative.
But the announcement is based on rodent bioassays -- a type of study recently found to be seriously flawed. Also, the mice in these studies were fed very high levels of phenolphthalein -- much higher than any human would ever be exposed to. So these studies are of dubious relevance to humans. Moreover, there is no human data linking Ex-Lax to increased cancer risk despite the product being used for many years.
Pharmaceutical giant Schering Plough saw it differently though.
On June 3, 1997, Schering Plough took out full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today with the following text:
A GOVERNMENT PANEL HAS DETERMINED
SOME LAXATIVES CAUSE CANCER. An FDA committee has concluded that phenolphthalein, the active ingredient found in many laxatives, may poses a risk of cancer.
As a result, the government is considering regulatory action that may even include a recall of laxatives containing phenolphthalein. This would include most ex-lax products.
Fortunately, today there's Correctol Laxative which does not contain phenolphthalein.
Because of the importance of this issue, Correctol invites you to call 1-888-570-4200.
Picking on a competitor's product with junk science? Shame on you Schering Plough!
Of course, Schering Plough failed to mention that the last time a study linked phenolphthalein with cancer, Schering Plough laxatives Correctol and Feen-a-Mint contained phenolphthalein! At the time, Schering Plough's comment was the study wasn't relevant to humans.
So what's happened to Schering Plough? Well as it turns out, although Correctol no longer contains phenolphthalein, product sales are in the toilet (pun intended?).
Hey Schering Plough... in 1994 Canadian researchers linked your antihistamine marketed as Claritin with cancer. Have you got a toll-free number for consumers to call for that one? Perhaps we should send out an alert to the trial lawyers. I'm sure there are plenty of people with cancer who used Claritin. In the junk science world, that's good enough for a cause-and-effect relationship!
So watch out Schering Plough. Those who live by junk science shall perish by it!
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Copyright © 1997 Steven J. Milloy. All rights reserved. Site developed and hosted by WestLake Solutions, Inc.
