WASHINGTON, July 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday warned against using bismacine for treating Lyme disease after a report of a death.
Bismacine, which is also known as chromacine, is not a pharmaceutical and "is not approved for anything, including Lyme disease," the FDA said. The product is administered by injection.
The agency said a person died as a result of treatment with bismacine in April and another person was hospitalized in March. Other people also have suffered serious adverse events after using the product, which is mixed individually by druggists and is prescribed by doctors of "alternative health," according to the FDA.
The agency said it was "evaluating product suppliers (of bismacine) and will take additional action as appropriate."
Bismacine can cause problems because it contains high amounts of bismuth, a heavy metal used in oral medications to treat the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers but is not approved for injection. Possible adverse events associated with bismuth include cardiovascular collapse and kidney failure.
