FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH ANALBIS SUPPOSITORIES

To the Editor:—  This is a preliminary report on fatalities associated with the use of suppositories of a bismuth salt of heptadienecarboxylic acid (diallyl acetic acid), marketed as "Analbis" and manufactured and sold by Specific Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of New York City.The drug has been used for the past ten years in various European countries, particularly Hungary and France, for the alleviation of symptoms in acute inflammations of the throat, and preoperatively in tonsillectomies. In October 1943 the manufacturer made application to the Federal Food and Drug Administration for permission to manufacture and sell Analbis suppositories. The drug was widely distributed throughout the United States. It was also sold in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil and China. It is not included in New and Nonofficial Remedies, the official publication of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association. Several articles have appeared indicating its effectiveness in