The toxin trade

No I do not think we should be doing business with this company ..... let them sell their Reloxin to Mullahs and Burkaa wearing Iranian Women

Thursday, April 23, 2009
EDITORIAL: The toxin trade

A French drugmaker selling raw botulinum toxin to Iran wants approval from the Food and Drug Administration to peddle its products in America. Does anyone think this is a good idea?

French pharmaceutical company Ipsen has been providing raw botulinum toxin to the University of Tehran and the Pasteur Institute of Iran ostensibly for medical-research purposes. Botulinum is one of the most lethal biological agents in the world. Under certain circumstances, a single gram can kill more than a million people. Because botulinum is such a potentially devastating bioweapons agent, its use and handling is strictly regulated under U.S. law.

Ipsen is seeking the FDA nod to market two botulinum-based products in the United States: the cosmetic Reloxin, which is similar to Botox, and Dysport, which is used for treating conditions such as muscle spasms. A potential regulatory loophole could prevent the FDA from using the risk of bioterrorism as a criterion in determining whether Ipsen will be given access to the U.S. market. The FDA generally judges drugs by medical criteria and does not make judgments on their broader national-security implications. Additional factors need to be considered. A company that is potentially enabling Iran to develop biological weapons should not be rewarded with access to America's large consumer market.