Wikimedia Foundation Inc.
P.O.Box 78350
San Francisco
USA
2 December 2010
Dear Wikimedia Editors,
We have pointed out to you several times that you are publishing untrue assertions about the preparation Ukrain on your German-language Wikipedia. We once again expressly ask you to correct the information in the article “Ukrain”. In order to make this easier for you we are sending you the correct information about Ukrain in which each assertion is verified by the results of scientific studies.
For example, the assertion that Ukrain is an extract of greater celandine is untrue.
Correct is: Ukrain contains modified alkaloids from greater celandine which gain the property to accumulate in cancer cells through a special patented process (Patent AU 2002346888).
Contents
It is untrue: the producer does not give precise information about contents and the production process.
Correct is: the production process is patented and the information is to be found in the patent - Patent EU No. 1644012 of 2 June 2010.
It is untrue: it is also not known whether the compound of Ukrain has remained constant since it was first described.
It is true: the demonstration of the quality of Ukrain is described in the European Pharmacopoeia. Therefore since 1976 Ukrain has been produced hundreds of times with the same compound and the same effect and evidence of this has been provided in vitro, in vivo and in clinical application.
Mechanism of Action
It is untrue: the selective effect of Ukrain against tumour cells while avoiding damage to healthy cells emphasised by the producer could not be reproduced by an independent work group.
Correct is: this assertion is supported with reference to a study from South Africa. It must be stated that the results of this study could not be confirmed by any other group.
Furthermore – in 1998 at the annual meeting of the AARC (American Association for Cancer Research) in New Orleans exactly this work group around Dr. A. Panzer presented their study with Ukrain under the title “Ukrain, a semisynthetic alkaloid of Chelidonium majus, is selectively toxic to malignant cells by causing a metaphase block which results in apoptosis” and for the first time postulated the thesis that Ukrain works as a tubulin inhibitor and causes a cell cycle stop in the G2M phase (Panzer and Seegers, 1998).
This has been confirmed by numerous other institutes including Rochester University, USA, Instituto de Cancerologia, Mexico, the University of Tübingen, Germany, Università di Pisa, Italy among others. In the process a second important thesis about the selective effect of Ukrain against cancer cells was postulated – the inhibition of tubulin polymerisation was not observed in benign cells.
In comparative studies Ukrain has been tested under identical conditions on 18 malignant and 12 normal cell lines (36, 38, 63, 143, 147, 149, 181, 184, 190, 245, 255).
These experiments removed all doubt regarding the selective effect of Ukrain. The numerous studies have proved that Ukrain is the first and only anti-cancer preparation that is toxic for cancer cells but not for healthy cells. This also explains its good tolerability in clinical application.
Because of its very high therapeutic index of 1250, in contrast to general cytostatic drugs which have a therapeutic index of 1.4 – 1.8, there is no risk of an overdose with Ukrain therapy. (The therapeutic index is a measure of the relative safety of a drug, expressed as the ratio between the fatal or toxic dose and the therapeutically effective dose.) Thanks to its very high therapeutic index Ukrain causes no necrosis with intramuscular injection, which was demonstrated in the phase I study with healthy volunteers (37).
Toxicity
Wikipedia: “In studies on mice and rats in 1992 Ukrain caused dysfunction of the eyes, shivering and twitches as well as reduced growth.”
This statement is incomplete and misleading.
It is not mentioned that these effects only appeared with dosage levels which were almost fatal and are insignificant for clinical application. We repeat that it can be seen from the therapeutic index of 1250 that the toxic dose of Ukrain is 1250 times higher than the therapeutic dose. A patient therefore runs no risk, even in the case of an overdose.
Clinical Effects
It is untrue: the authors of an overview of alternative medicine literature make the point, “that further methodically sound studies would have to be carried out before Ukrain could be recommended for clinical application.”
Correct is: Priv. Doz. Dr. med. Frank Gansauge, who was substantially involved in two important studies with Ukrain, wrote in the “Concluding Evaluation of the Ukrain Study” on 13 March 2003: “in the conclusion of the study it has been shown that Ukrain is well tolerated and can also be used without problems for out-patients. In comparison to Gemcitabine therapy there is a significant prolongation of survival time. The combination therapy of Gemcitabine + Ukrain shows no advantage over monotherapy with Ukrain. For this reason and on the basis of the results of our study we recommend Ukrain monotherapy in the palliative treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
It is untrue: possible side-effects… possibly liver infections since this disease has been described after taking other greater celandine preparations.
Correct is: Ukrain does not cause liver infection, a fact that has been demonstrated by numerous toxicological tests. On the contrary, these tests have shown that Ukrain protects the liver against liver infection induced with acetaminophen.
This assertion in Wikipedia is misleading because the mechanism of action and properties of Ukrain are completely different from those of its starting substances Thiotepa and greater celandine alkaloids. We cannot expect water to be explosive simply because one of its components, hydrogen, is explosive.
In a study with healthy volunteers no noteworthy side-effects were found.
The possible side-effects mentioned in the summary of product characteristics are caused by tumour degradation products and therefore to be seen as side-effects of therapy. They fade away when a full remission (tumour regression) is achieved.
Other information
Historical
It is untrue: an application for approval of Ukrain in Austria made in 1986 was rejected in 1995.
Correct is: the decision mentioned was annulled with the finding Zl. 95/10/0124/
8 DNr. 1302/0830 HP of 26 February 1996 due to “unlawfulness as a result of infringement of procedural regulations.” In addition, on 24 February 2005 in the case of the approval of Ukrain the European Court of Human Rights found against the Republic of Austria due to conduct contrary to administrative rules.
Legal status
It is untrue: according to information from the producer Ukrain is supposed to be approved.
Correct is: Ukrain is approved as a medicine in Ukraine (approval number UA/9110/01/01), Mexico (approval number 036M2005SSA), Georgia (approval number 461/o) and Tunisia (approval number 1145).
Evaluation
Here it is a matter of one-sided and outdated assertions on the part of Wikipedia. Other researchers and physicians have evaluated Ukrain as follows:
“Ukrain could replace chemotherapy in the treatment of almost all types of cancer disease.” (Robert Atkins, physician, USA, in: An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., Tiburon, California, 1997, p. 31)
“Ukrain is able to improve the general condition of incurable cancer patients and to prolong their life by strengthening the immune system and inhibiting tumour growth.”
(Douglas Brodie, physician, USA, in: An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., Tiburon, California, 1997, p. 81).
“Both the understanding as well as a possible modulation of this mechanism which brings about selective cell death could serve as a model for the provision of safer and more effective new cancer treatments.”
University of Rochester Cancer Center, in: Roublevskaia IN, Polevoda BV, Ludlow JW, Haake AR. Induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in human epidermoid carcinoma cell lines by semisynthetic drug Ukrain. Anticancer Res. 2000 Sep-Oct;20(5A):3163-7.
Ukrain is a unique product which fights cancer diseases in at least two ways (by killing cancer cells and strengthening the immune system). Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. USA, in: The Cancer Chronicles, 27 June 1995.
According to our results we can recommend Ukrain as a medicament for the treatment of cases of pancreatic cancer in which a resection is not possible. Prof. H.G. Beger et al., Universität Ulm, in: Gansauge F, Ramadani M, Pressmar J, Gansauge S, Muehling B, Stecker B, Cammerer G, Leder G, Beger HG. NSC-631570 (Ukrain) in the palliative treatment of pancreatic cancer. Results of a phase II trial. Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery (2002), 386(8):570-574.
Best regards,
Dr. W. Nowicky
P.S. Today we tried to publish this letter in the discussion area – we were not able to do so because for incomprehensible reasons we are “blocked”. This is why we are sending this by post so that you will receive the letter. We once again point out that this is a question of human life and the untrue information in the article about Ukrain has perhaps already brought harm to some people. Should you not publish this letter, I retain the right of publishing it somewhere else.
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