Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

area and degree of inflammation.
1951 Arsenate Sodium (Sangart)
Was introduced in France as a tonic. (Na 2 HAsO 4 ), 7 H 2 O.
Use: sodium arsenate was formerly used in the treatment of chronic skin
diseases, some parasitic diseases, and anaemia (Martindale, 1977).
ADR: dependence on arsenic was reported in 1750 (Lewin, 1928). Arsenic and
arsenicals must be considered obsolete in medicine because of their limited
therapeutic value, their multiple-system toxicity and their apparent
carcinogenic properties (Choulis & Dukes, 2000). Four cases of acute
intoxication reported from Paris in 1972 (Fréjaville et al., 1972).
BIAM 181 : polyneuritis, proteinuria, hepatitis with cholestasis and sometimes
hepatic cirrhosis, and peripheral neuropathy. Arsenic and arsenic compounds
are carcinogenic in humans (IARC vol 23, 1980).
SED 1952 and SED 1976: arsenic–no mention of abuse. The AFSSAPS 182 is
unable to add any more information.
Withdrawn: in France in 1988 because of abuse. A European court report
stated in 1995: every bottle of Sangart mixture is made up, according to the
evidence, of distilled water (100 cm 3 ), syrup (25 cm 3 ) and 90 o alcohol (16 cm 3 )
to which is added 0.005 g sodium arsenate, 0.02 g sodium nucleinate, 1 g nux
vomica, 1.5 g calf liver extract and various flavourings. In its observations, the
Commission undertook a detailed review of the very few active substances in
the mixtures. For example, it is stated that sodium arsenate is traditionally
used in the treatment of anaemic conditions, but since each bottle of Sangart
mixture contains per 141 cm 3 only 0.005 mg of the substance, any therapeutic
effect must be excluded. Sangart lived on in another guise.
Availability: nil
Drug Lifespan: 37 years
Delay in recognition: not known for arsenic and 37 years for this product
Delay in regulatory action: 238 years
Comment: arsenic was used from the 16 th century to improve temporarily the
appearance of horses by making their coat shinier. In man it gave cheeks a
healthy glow and it was hoped make them stronger, more resistant to
infections and able to eat more (Lewin, 1928). Further reading: KK Jain’s
Drug-induced Neurological Disorders. Hogrefe & Huber Publishers 2001,
281–2.
181 BIAM = Banque de Données Automatisée sur les Médicaments (http://www.biam2.org/)
182 AFSSAPS = Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé