Talk:Imiquimod/Archive 1

Dangers
I'm unsure as to the scientific strength of this website (linked below) warning of the dangers of 3M Pharmaceuticals' Aldara (Imiquimod) cream, but if true the testimonials contained within it are of great concern. The woman who runs the site seems to be selling products of her own, so maybe she's trying to discredit 3M to scare up a bit of business. OTOH, it may be a purely altruistic attempt (tainted with a bit of spite, albeit warranted, if Aldara did cause her the health problems that she claims) at warning people of the alleged, and rather severe, dangers of Aldara. Can anyone shed any light on this issue? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.59.103.153 (talk • contribs)

Elaine Hollingsworth has a webpage dedicated to exposing the dangers of Aldara, hosted at doctorsaredangerous.com, because she had a bad experience, and she collects reports from others. Richard Beasley had a bad experience, sued, and set up a website to host critical information at aldara1.com.--69.87.200.95 14:55, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Side effects
This is a strong, serious prescription drug, impacting the entire immune system. Hundreds of patient experiences are reported in detail: --69.87.200.95 14:55, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Expensive
This is an obscenely expensive drug -- $10 per each single dose of .25g (containing 12.5mg of active ingredient) of barely visible amount of cream! Then the patient is commanded to throw out the open packet immediately, even if it has not all been used. Why must this very expensive cream be wasted instead of being saved to use next time, if possible? And the shelf life is short -- the expiration date is only a year after purchase. What is the best long term storage? It seems like refrigeration would be best, but is not advised. Is any generic version available anywhere in the world? When will generic be available in the US -- how long is it protected?--69.87.200.95 15:12, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

History; carcinogenesis (claimed)
When was this chemical first discovered/studied? By who? There are claims that it was known to be carcinogenic in the 1980's. "IQ has been known since 1986 to cause cancer. It is so dangerous that the American Cancer Society, The National Cancer Institute, and others have determined it is a carcinogen, and have placed it on their lists of most hazardous chemicals. IQ has even been listed as a laboratory chemical hazard by the US Occupational Safety Health Agency."--69.87.200.95 15:12, 28 February 2007 (UTC)


 * The above-cited claim of carcinogenesis appears to be untruthful. The American Cancer Society gives seemingly comprehensive details about the drug and its risks but states nothing about carcinogenesis, on  this ACS webpage.  Bo99 (talk) 21:42, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

Not neutral
I think this article highlights the dangers of imiquimod a bit much. The statement that it should only be used for 21 days is contradicted by the standard recommended dosage for the treatment of superfical basal cell skin cancer. On the question of expense above, like all patented drugs, the major expense is the R&D to develop the drug (and other drugs that never make it to market). The cost to actually make a packet is almost certainly a very small fraction of the price charged. 130.132.94.174 19:47, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Photo biased
I must say, I find the rather extreme photograph in this article far too biased against imiquimod. If one views the photo closely, one can see that the patient has numerous basal cells, from one end of his forehead to the other. He's using the imiquimod on several dozens spots at once. This is not a typical case of basal cell/squamous cell carcinoma. If one doesn't know that this is the case, they would likely jump to the conclusion that the photo represents a typical reaction to imiquimod use, which it doesn't. As much as I discourage non-selective immune stimulation, there are people that need imiquimod badly, and I'm afraid that they'll be so shocked when they see the photo that they won't even consider it. There are very few options, and as imperfect is imiquimod is, it works, most of the time. Without it, some basal cells will continue to grow, sometimes cause terrible disfiguration, metastases and death. Many times basal cells will appear to be very small on the surface, while spreading into large sections of the face. When Moh's surgery is performed on these cancers, it can result in severe disfiguration, loss of nerve tissue and extensive reconstructive surgery. I think we owe it to people with skin cancer to at least post a more typical photo what imiquimod side-effects look like.

On the other hand, the list of side-effects is severely lacking. Dermatological manifestations are just one, small part of it. There are many that aren't mentioned in the article. I'm going to work on it in the near future.Iridescentlavender (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 05:16, 17 March 2012 (UTC).
 * I declined this product because it was to be applied near eyes at night, and either the product leaflet or the hospital note warned of this risk. Now there has been a speedy deletion, maybe my concern was not misplaced? Timpo (talk) 07:54, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

Speedy deletion of iNova page & legal case mention
INova Pharmaceuticals deletion notice

A7. No indication of importance (individuals, animals, organizations, web content, events).

But seven minutes? Remarkable!

iNova emerged from a division of 3M in Australia and is still in business as a distributor of Imiquimod (variously marketed by several different companies as Aldara/Zyclara/Beselna) although it is now owned by Valeant Pharmaceuticals which has merged with Biovail - so it is a small part of a multi-national (maybe ¿if Australia and Africa is a small part of the world?) the quoted but unlinked Medicis Pharmaceutical is another piece of the cross-ownership puzzle

The deletion
This is what offended: A USA patient, Richard B*** sued the then (2005) licensee, 3M Pharmaceuticals claiming that an immune response suppression agent had entered his bloodstream and caused multiple health issues. The result was inconclusive but he claims that the company agreed to alter the information leaflet.

Why 3M should be mentioned (if only obliquely!)
iNova page was a red-ink-link from Imiquimod which product is an immune response suppressant used in minor procedures such as actinic keratosis treatment as well as in more serious treatments.

As with all medicines, it is probably safe provided it is used strictly according to instructions (topical use only). A patient in Texas USA claims it accidently entered his bloodstream via a cut with serious consequences. He sued 3M Pharma, who changed the leaflet to close the case, but he maintains a hostile website which generates anxiety.

cur | prev) 17:43, 11 February 2013‎ ChemNerd (→‎Disadvantages: lawsuits like this are common for every marketed drug - nothing indicates this is notable or anything other than "local news") (undo) (cur | prev) 17:36, 11 February 2013‎ Timpo  (Add legal case) (undo)

Is Big Pharma watching? You bet! Will this comment be deleted as quickly and for the same reason? Timpo (talk) 07:48, 12 February 2013 (UTC)


 * What a ridiculous claim! Your conspiracy theories are completely unfounded.  I have nothing to do with "Big Pharma" and the reason for the revert was clearly explained in my edit summary.  ChemNerd (talk) 18:38, 2 May 2013 (UTC)