Fenbendazole, a dog anthelmintic, is called a "miracle anticancer drug" among some cancer patients and is selling like hot cakes despite soaring prices. The medical community recommends stopping taking fenbendazole because it does not help cancer treatment, but it is still traded at a high price among terminal cancer patients who want to catch straws.
Fenbendazole received attention after it was reported that it was diagnosed with lung cancer overseas and cured after taking the drug. In Korea, comedian Kim Chul-min, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, claimed that his pain decreased significantly and his cancer level decreased when he took fenbendazole last year.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 2nd, sales of fenbendazole in Korea increased by 20% last year compared to the previous year. Sales in 2018 were similar to those of the previous year, but it is interpreted that the purchase of patients who expect anticancer effects has increased significantly since last year.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommended refraining from using fenbendazole in October last year, announcing the risk of side effects. This is because serious damage to blood, nerves, and liver can occur when administered at high doses and for a long period of time for anti-cancer effects.
However, reviews of fenbendazole have continued in online communities. In the case of terminal cancer patients who no longer have a way to use their hands, they take it with a feeling of grasping at straws.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is concerned about the use of fenbendazole, but drug management is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which is in charge of animal medicines. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says there is no reason to sanction the use of fenbendazole despite high concerns over side effects.
"It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to use and sell fenbendazole to animals, but there is no basis to prevent humans from using it," said an animal drug official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In other words, there is no way to prevent the sale of fenbendazole because it is not a problem of the drug itself even if side effects occur from human use.
In the drug sales stage, animals, not humans, should be instructed to take it according to their purpose, but this is not easy either. In the case of animal hospitals, they take animals directly, but they cannot prevent them from buying only drugs from animal pharmacies. Some say it is illegal to purchase fenbendazole without a prescription, but in reality, it is not a violation of the law even if you buy drugs without a prescription. Among last year's sales, it is impossible to determine how much fenbendazole people who are not actual animals take.
Transactions of animal drugs between individuals online and offline are illegal, but crackdowns are not being carried out properly. Even now, it is not difficult to find posts selling fenbendazole or introducing direct overseas purchase sites in the Internet community.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters is inspecting illegal transactions of animal drugs online, such as warnings and accusations, but the results are sluggish. Last year, only one case of illegal online transactions of fenbendazole was reportedly detected by the quarantine headquarters.
Officials say it is not easy to block secretly transactions through social networking services (SNS) or offline. An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "If you purchase directly from overseas, it is relatively easy to crack down on online sales because they can be searched."
In order to prevent indiscriminate abuse of fenbendazole, it is essential to establish a reporting system. The quarantine headquarters originally planned to create a site for reporting illegal transactions of animal drugs online in the second half of last year, but has yet to open it.
An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "We understand that the report itself to the quarantine headquarters is insufficient so far," adding, "We plan to complete the system construction as we secure related budgets this year."
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
