Case File 15 — Krebiozen: How a Nonexistent Cancer Drug Reached Congress

In 1951, one of the most respected scientists in America called a Chicago press conference to announce a cure for cancer. He was no quack. He had represented the United States at the Nuremberg medical trials, and when he spoke, people believed him. This episode follows Krebiozen — from a Yugoslav doctor who claimed he’d distilled it from the blood of horses, to a fraud trial that ran nine months, to a United States senator’s crusade to keep it alive. The drug never had much evidence behind it. What it had was credibility, and that carried it for more than a decade. Then the FDA finally analyzed a sample and found the miracle cure was a common substance already sitting in everyone’s muscles, creatine. For the full written case file, visit thepharmafiles.substack.com.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepharmafiles.substack.com