Categories
Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Burzynski’s old lawyer Richard Jaffe throws a quack stem cell clinic under the bus

Richard Jaffe was Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski’s lawyer. For nearly two decades, Jaffe defended this cancer quack from the FDA, Texas Medical Board, and the government in the name of “health freedom” and even invented Burzynski’s business model of having over 70 clinical trials open that allow him to treat any cancer patient he wants. More recently, he’s been a defender of for-profit quack stem cell clinics. Last week, he shocked me by finding one stem cell clinic so quacky that he thinks the government should shut it down, even going so far as to use criminal prosecution if necessary. Basically, he’s willing to throw one quack stem cell clinic under the bus, so that others can continue to profit.

Categories
Bioethics Medicine Politics

Some final thoughts (for now) on right-to-try, the Stanislaw Burzynski of drug regulation laws

Right-to-try is now the law of the land. Unfortunately, it’s a law custom-made for the unethical who don’t mind taking advantage of the terminally ill.

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Bioethics Medicine Politics Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

Right-to-try: A bait and switch intended to weaken the FDA

On Wednesday, President Trump signed a federal right-to-try bill into law with great fanfare, making extravagant claims for it. It’s time to reiterate one last time that right-to-try will not help terminally ill patients but it will strip important protections from them. It’s pure snake oil.

Categories
Cancer Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Helen Lawson and black salve: Cutting, burning, and poisoning “naturally”

Cancer quacks frequently characterize conventional treatments for cancer as “cutting, poisoning, and burning.” Yet, in Australia a woman with ovarian cancer chose black salve, in essence, “cutting, poisoning, and burning” (but mostly burning and without the cutting) to treat her disease. She died a horrible death. How can black salve still be a thing.

Categories
Cancer Clinical trials Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

How is it that in 2018 cancer Stanislaw Burzynski is still preying on desperate cancer patients? (Update)

Earlier this week, I wrote about the tragic story of Demi Knight, and 11-year-old girl in the UK with medulloblastoma with only a few months to live. I wondered how cancer quack Stanislaw Burzynski could still be taking advantage of such patients in 2018. Here, I note the role of the press.