Skin cancer gel from hell could unleash “zombie viruses”

It’s a horror movie in a tube! Something you’d see on a theater marquee with a terrifying name like “Return of the Zombies.”

Just three years ago, the FDA approved Picato, a gel that’s supposed to treat a condition called actinic keratosis in as little as two or three days. These are the small, rough and sometimes scaly lesions we get from sun damage — and that can lead to skin cancer.

But even though you may be done with Picato in a couple days, the med may not be done with you.

Because new research is proving that this drug may unleash an army of “zombie viruses” on your body. It may practically wake from the dead dangerous diseases that have been lying dormant inside you for years.

And even just a short treatment could leave you with shingles, blindness, or maybe even something much, much worse.

Return of the zombiesJust days ago, the FDA issued a frightening — and cryptic — alert. It warned that applying Picato, even for just a couple days, could give you a painful case of shingles.

The Feds are claiming they’re not sure why this is happening, or even how many people have been affected. But they’re not telling us everything they know.

You see, shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus. You may have had chicken pox as a kid — but you may not realize that the virus stays in your system, usually dormant, for the rest of your life.

But Picato seems to reactivate the virus, literally bringing it back to life like a zombie. At least one patient even developed a case of ocular shingles, which heads to the eyes and can leave you blind.

And even though the FDA is only admitting that Picato can cause shingles (for now), the drug may be able to pull its little zombie routine on other dangerous viruses, too.

Just recently, researchers from the University of California, Davis tested Picato on the blood of AIDS patients whose disease was in remission and found that it woke up the HIV virus, too!

Many of the viruses we catch throughout our lives remain inactive in our bodies in one form or another. So there may be no limit to the number of diseases Picato can resurrect.

And even if Picato doesn’t awaken some zombie virus that’s been leaving you alone for years, you’re still not out of the woods. If you have to apply the gel to your face — which is common — there’s a good chance you’re going to feel like you were bobbing for apples in a deep fryer.

People are reporting intense burning, blisters, and having to take pain meds just to get to sleep. If you get Picato too close to your eyes you could get everything from a chemically-induced form of pink eye to burns on your corneas.

And who’s letting this stuff stay on the market? The same FDA that has spent years attacking just about any natural cancer product that’s being sold.

In fact, years ago the FDA forced supplement company Lane Labs to pull its actinic keratosis product off the market even though it wasn’t generating complaints and didn’t come with any of the horrifying side effects we’re seeing with Picato.

The FDA isn’t going to protect you from Picato — but the good news is you don’t have to buy it. Especially when there are safer alternatives on the market for treating actinic keratosis like:

• Liquid nitrogen: Getting your lesions frozen off is still no picnic, but this has been a preferred and relatively safe treatment method for years.
• Eggplant creams: There are topical ointments on the market that include solasodine glycosides, which are extracted from eggplants. And they’ve been proven to effectively treat actinic keratosis in a matter of days.

Both of these remedies can clear up your skin and keep cancer away — without waking up the dead.

Sources:

“FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA warns of severe adverse events with application of Picato (ingenol mebutate) gel for skin condition; requires label changes” August 21, 2015, fda.gov