Original article (in Serbian) was published on 29/8/2024; Author: Teodora Koledin
The newsroom of FakeNews Tragac received a report regarding a video of the influencer Katarina Lazic, who, after travelling to Cuba, shared various information about this country with her followers. In one part of this “series”, she explains how Cuba discovered a “cure for cancer”, alluding to Vidatox, a solution based on the venom of the blue scorpion (Rhopalurus junceus). It is an endemic type of scorpion from Cuba.
Although there are indications of the possible effectiveness of this toxin in the treatment of malignant diseases, the idea that it is a “cure for cancer” cannot be considered well-founded.
What is influencer Katarina Lazic talking about in this video?
Lazic explains that the venom of the blue scorpion is “one of the greatest medical inventions ever”, adding that “the molecular weight extracted from this venom has scientifically proven anticancer properties and is the basis of a homoeopathic medicine called Vidatox”.
“Vidatox is used to cure all malignant diseases and, according to the mentioned research, it leads to improvement in as many as 90% of cases, and no negative or even fatal side effects of this drug have been recorded”, concludes the influencer.
How was the Vidatox solution created?
The Labiofam company produces Vidatox, while another pharmaceutical company, Lifescozul – which was subsequently founded in Ecuador by a former Labiofam employee – produces the Escozul solution. Labiofam first produced Escozul (a less diluted version of the poison) and then in 2011 registered the homoeopathic medicine Vidatox 30-CH, i.e. an alcohol-diluted solution containing peptides from the venom of the blue scorpion.
The label “30-CH” actually means that the poison has been diluted 30 times. As Luis Carlos Silva, senior researcher at the National Center for Medical Sciences in Havana, explains, to form this type of homoeopathic solution, one part of the “main tincture” (in this case poison) is taken to which 99 parts of the solvent (water/alcohol) are added. Then, from the already diluted poison, one part is taken again and mixed with 99 parts of solvent, and the process is repeated another 28 times. For example, in the case of Vidatox, each millilitre of solution (20 drops) contains 0.01 millilitre of solution (already diluted 30 times), while the rest consists of ethanol and purified water.
Judging by some sources, a solution of 30 millilitres is sold to foreigners for 220 dollars, while Cuban citizens can get it for just a few cents.
Does Vidatox really have scientifically proven anti-cancer properties?
In the scientific journal Nature in 2017, a study was published concluding that this homoeopathic preparation “increases the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma”. So, according to these results, not only does the preparation not have a positive effect, but it can also be harmful.
On the other hand, in a meta-analysis conducted by Italian scientists in 2020, the following conclusion was presented: although under certain conditions an encouraging effect of blue scorpion venom on cancer cell lines is recorded, the effectiveness of the Escozul solution (which is stronger than Vidatox) has been established neither in vitro experiments nor experiments with animals.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center also expressed its position on this type of alternative treatment, stating that “claims regarding blue scorpion venom sold to cancer patients as Escozin, Escozul and Vidatox are based mostly on anecdotes, testimonials and experiments that may or may not have been conducted correctly”.
What do the official institutions in Cuba say?
Regulation 53-2011 of the Ministry of Health of Cuba, which refers to the registration of homoeopathic medicines for human use, defines that homoeopathic medicines should be viewed as “therapeutic alternatives that serve as an auxiliary means to alleviate the ailments caused by various diseases, and not as the only or replacement treatment, even if there is no other conventional treatment”.
In the information released about Vidatox, published by the Cuban Center for State Drug Control, it was stated that these drops serve exclusively as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of symptoms caused by the effects of cancer and pain relief, “given that no scientific evidence has been presented to support their approval as the only treatment”. Along with the basic information about the solution, there is also a warning that the use of this product does not exclude, replace or limit the use of other conventional treatments used in therapy against neoplasia (tissue enlargement that may or may not indicate malignancy).
In the end, manipulative claims about the effects of Vidatox are particularly problematic if we take into account the fact that this solution is often sold on the black market, mostly with unverified content and packaging. Back in 2016, N1 reported the arrest of two people who, as responsible persons of a company for the wholesale of medicines and medical devices, were selling counterfeit medicines, including Vidatox drops.
