AIDS,
SARS,
cancer
and
“many
other
life
threatening
diseases”
can
be
cured
by
a
once-a-year
dose
of
crocodile
proteins
—
all
for
“a
measly
$49.”
Don’t
believe
it?
Check
your
e-mail
inbox.
You
might
find
a
message
from
a
company
called
BiologicalMiracle.com
offering
a
product
called
the
Antidote,
which
is
“the
all-inclusive
miracle
that
will
kill
all
viruses
and
bacteria
your
body
can
throw
at
it.”
“The
Antidote
is
a
unique
anti-microbial
peptide
offering
the
widest
range
of
healing
power
on
the
market
today,”
according
to
the
Web
site.
“It
kills
all
known
deadly
viruses
and
bacteria
in
the
body.”
The
Antidote
is
sold
in
5-milliliter
bottles
and
takes
48
hours
to
become
effective,
according
to
the
Web
site.
Despite
warnings
from
the
company
that
its
e-mail
“is
not
just
another
spam”
and
its
product
is
not
“just
another
‘passing
fad,’”
health
advocates
warn
people
with
HIV
to
think
twice
before
ordering
the
product.
“Absolutely
don’t
spend
your
money
on
something
like
this,
or
anything,
without
first
talking
with
your
health
care
provider,”
said
Paul
Feldman,
public
affairs
director
for
the
National
Association
of
People
With
AIDS.
“The
whole
thing
gives
me
pain
to
think
people
would
spend
their
hard-earned
money
on
something
that
comes
to
them
[via
e-mail]
rather
than
work
with
their
health
care
provider,
who
can
actually
help
them,”
he
added.
The
U.S.
Food
&
Drug
Administration
issued
an
alert
on
April
2
directing
its
field
personnel
to
seize
quantities
of
the
Antidote,
which
is
being
shipped
from
two
London
companies
not
licensed
to
sell
the
medicines
it
was
purporting
to
sell.
The
companies
listed
as
responsible
are
BiologicalMiracle.com
and
Flashpoint
International
Ltd.,
but
the
FDA
notes
that
“surveillance
of
The
Antidote
from
other
unapproved
sources
is
warranted.”
SPAM
MAY
BE
the
latest
means,
but
crafty
entrepreneurs
have
been
trying
for
more
than
20
years
to
convince
people
with
HIV
and
AIDS
to
shell
out
their
cash
for
miracle
cures,
Feldman
said.
“It’s
been
going
on
since
Day
1
of
the
epidemic,”
he
said.
“But
let
me
be
clear:
There
is
no
cure
for
AIDS.”
People
searching
for
a
rapid
solution
to
a
disease
like
HIV
may
be
vulnerable
to
commercial
solicitations
that
promise
an
easy
way
out,
said
Cara
Emery,
treatment
education
program
manager
at
AIDS
Survival
Project
in
Atlanta.
“An
amazing
number
of
people
really
do
respond
to
these
things,
especially
if
they’re
not
educated
about
HIV,”
Emery
said.
“People
are
always
looking
for
a
quick
cure,
where
it
won’t
be
difficult.”
People
with
HIV
could
suffer
if
they
replace
accepted
medical
treatment
with
unproven
gimmicks,
Emery
said.
“The
really
dangerous
thing
with
these
one-time,
or
instant
cures,
is
people
will
access
them,
they
may
even
feel
better
from
a
placebo
affect,
and
then
they
may
not
follow-up
with
a
regular
doctor’s
cure,”
Emery
said.
E-MAIL
FROM
THE
Antidote
manufacturers
invite
customers
to
submit
orders
online
or
mail
payment
to
a
post
office
box
in
Cyprus;
no
other
contact
information
is
listed
on
the
Web
site.
But
the
site
does
include
testimonies
from
people
who
say
they
used
the
Antidote
and
experienced
miraculous
relief.
Among
them
is
Jed
Scott
Swift,
an
Ohio
resident
who
said
the
Antidote
erased
“a
14-year
long
illness
that
nothing
else
has
helped.”
“I
think
it
offered
me
great
help,
and
it
helped
me
immediately,”
Swift,
who
said
he
suffered
from
chronic
fatigue
syndrome,
told
the
Blade
in
a
telephone
interview.
Laszlo
Otvos,
an
associate
professor
at
the
University
of
Pennsylvania
who
researches
anti-microbial
peptides,
said
he
was
skeptical
of
the
Antidote’s
claims,
particularly
since
peptides
are
believed
to
affect
specific
organs
such
as
the
liver,
rather
than
a
person’s
entire
body
or
immune
system.
“I
have
difficulty
believing
any
peptide
drug
could
be
efficient
all
over
the
body,”
Otvos
said.
