The Chemical World This Week
OIL COMPANY PULLOUTS THREATEN SEADOCK The large offshore ports to handle crude oil still may be built in the Gulf of Mexico, even though some major companies have dropped out from one of the proposed projects. At least that's the opinion of several optimists among companies involved in the Seadock Inc. project and of various government and industry officials. However, the president of Seadock, Hugh L. Scott, can't be counted among these optimists. His view after Exxon Pipeline dropped out of the Seadock project on July 11 was that it is highly unlikely the project will be able to proceed. Worse yet, Gulf Oil dropped out the next day. With Gulfs 15% share, Exxon Pipeline's 22%, and Mobil Oil's (an earlier dropout) 15%, more than half of Seadock's support was gone at C&EN's press time. The remaining participants in Seadock and their shares before Mobil Oil's withdrawal are: Cities Service 7%, Continental Pipe Line 4%, Crown-Seadock Pipe Line 4%, Dow Chemical 6%, Phillips Petroleum 14%, and Shell Oil 13%. The rationale behind the three departing oil companies' dropping out of the Seadock project traces back to the stringent regulations imposed by the Department of Transportation in granting licenses to build the offshore ports (C&EN, Jan. 3, page 5). What the companies find objectionable are government restrictions on owners' rights and prerogatives to manage and operate the port, marine tanker stipulations, and future financial obligations. Similar views were expressed by Jerry McAfee, chairman of the board of Gulf Oil, in announcing that company's decision to withdraw. Both Gulf and Exxon officials emphasize their reluctance to withdraw, citing the advantages of the proposed offshore port in economics of oil transportation, environmental risks, and employment opportunities. In contrast to these executives' views, the optimists' stand on Seadock comes from the need for a port to handle very large crude carriers. Even after Gulf Oil announced its withdrawal from the project, the remaining six participants issued a statement following a long meeting that they will continue to hold the project together long enough to de4
C&EN July 18, 1977
termine whether enough new shareholders can be found to support the venture. They added, however, that unless some new shareholders are found, the project is dead. Alternative projects are beginning to be discussed. For example, an old proposal has been revived that the state of Texas build and finance a superport through revenue bonds. Such a proposal for state action is qualified by limitations that Seadock must first have clearly abandoned its plan and no alternative plans to finance a superport appear. Various industry sources not connected with Seadock or LOOP, the organization set up to build another superport off the coast of Louisiana, offer other views. One points out that
although slightly more than half of the financial participation is now gone, the additional burden to the remaining partners is relatively small when compared to the increase in expenditures that occurred during the building of the Alaskan oil pipeline. The Seadock project has been estimated to cost about $700 million in 1976 dollars. This could mean that the remaining partners would have to come up with at least $350 million to build the port, but more likely they will need up to twice that much to account for inflation. Final decision on Seadock's future isn't far off. The deadline for acceptance or rejection of the DOT license is next month. •
Clinical trials urged for L At the close of hearings on the use of the purported anticancer drug Laetrile last week before the Senate Health Subcommittee, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D.-Mass.), subcommittee chairman, called for government-sponsored clinical trials of the compound. In an effort obviously aimed at settling the matter one way or the other, Kennedy told supporters of legalization of the substance extracted from apricot pits that he would personally lead efforts in the Senate to lift restrictions on the use of Laetrile in the U.S. if clinical trials showed that it was in any way effective against human cancer. In return, he received the pledge of Laetrile proponents that they would stop promoting it if the trials did not show the compound effective. But even before the hearing adjourned it seemed unlikely that a clinical trial could be devised that would satisfy both sides of this issue. Dr. Lewis Thomas, president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, said it would not be ethical to treat patients even in a trial with only Laetrile since it has no proven effectiveness in animal studies. Instead it would have to be tested for its additive effect when used along with conventional cancer treatment methods—a condition that Laetrile supporters say counteracts the benefits of Laetrile. And Food & Drug Administration
Kennedy: issue confused by proponents
commissioner Donald Kennedy said that running any clinical test on Laetrile likely would not have value because there is more than one substance being touted by that name. In a particularly strong statement, FDA's Kennedy suggested that proponents of the compound's use have purposely confused the question of which compound they are promoting so that "failure to achieve results can always be attributed to having used the wrong material." The question of exactly what Laetrile's chemical composition is has been bothering health officials for years. It seems to cause less concern to Laetrile supporters. The name was
first given in the early 1950's to Lmandelonitrile-jS-glucuronic acid—a compound that has a cyanide-containing mandelonitrile linked to a glucose unit. In the early 1960's the name became used for mandelonitrile-/?-gentiobioside, which has a chain of two glucose units joined to the mandelonitrile. This second compound, also called amygdalin, is the one that has been used in all of the National Cancer Institute studies of Laetrile. To make things more complicated, amygdalin exists in two isomeric forms, which may behave differently in biological systems. Laetrile is supposed to work by reaction with the enzyme ^-glucosidase to release cyanide that kills cancer cells. Normal cells are said to be protected by an enzyme called rhodanese, which they contain and cancer cells don't, that detoxifies cyanide by converting it to thiocyanate. According to FDA, such a difference between cancerous and noncancerous cells has never been demonstrated. Cyanide released by such a mechanism would diffuse rapidly and thus poison surrounding normal cells, FDA claims, and the /3-glucosidase present in animal cells is present in too small an amount to make such a mechanism effective. •
Congress moves further to delay saccharin ban Congressional efforts to block a proposed federal ban on saccharin advanced another step last week when House and Senate panels adopted bills to prevent the Food & Drug Administration from acting against the artificial sweetener for 18 months. Both bills also would commission the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to look into some of the fundamental issues surrounding the testing of food additives. Both the House and Senate versions, for example, seek some sort of determination by NAS of the utility of animal tests to predict the human toxicity and carcinogenicity of food additives such as saccharin. In addition, Congress wants to know whether risk and benefit decisions are possible in regulatory actions concerning food additives of questionable safety, but potential benefit. The House bill (H.R. 7753), introduced by Rep. Paul C. Rogers (D.Fla.) with bipartisan support, was adopted by Rogers' health subcommittee with only minor changes by a vote of 9 to 3. In the bill markup, Rogers was able to muster sufficient votes to brush aside attempts by saccharin critics on the subcommittee
to alter the bill with amendments. One such proposal, introduced by Rep. Richard L. Ottinger (D.-N.Y.), would have lifted the ban moratorium if an acceptable substitute for saccharin was developed during the 18-month period. The bill now goes to the Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee for consideration. On the Senate side similar legislation (S. 1750) already has been approved by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's (D.-Mass.) health subcommittee with only minor changes. Last week the full Senate Committee on Human Resources met to consider the bill, and approved it by a vote of 11 to 3. Introduced by Kennedy, the bill will require a conspicuous label on all products containing saccharin— "Warning: this product contains saccharin, which causes cancer in animals. Use of this product may increase your risk of developing cancer." The House version does not require labeling of saccharin-containing products but gives FDA the authority to do so. The Senate bill next must go to the Senate Commerce Committee for review since the bill requires that both print and electronic advertising messages contain disclaimers about saccharin safety. Both bills probably will reach the House and Senate floors before Congress goes into summer recess at the end of this month. But final passage of any saccharin legislation may have to wait until early fall because differences between the House and Senate versions will have to be worked out in a conference committee. •
Nonprescription drug growth pegged at 4.7% Sales of proprietary and ethically promoted nonprescription medications will grow at about 4.7% per year through 1981, measured in constant dollars. This is the conclusion of the study "Nonprescription Drugs 1977," performed by Charles H. Kline & Co. of Fairfield, N.J. The study also finds that U.S. consumers spent $2.5 billion at the manufacturers' level in 1976 for vitamins, antacids, cold tablets, internal analgesics, and other over-thecounter (OTC) medications. The study indicates that future growth of the industry is clouded by the Food & Drug Administration's review of all OTC drugs. However, despite the FDA review, which will study efficacy, safety, and labeling of 17 product categories, opportunities for new products and growth of existing medications will continue.
Kline forecasts that several product groups will exceed the average growth of 4.7%. Vitamins, hematinics, and weight control products will have an average annual increase of about 7%---from $650 million in 1976 to about $912 million for 1981. The growth of this group is primarily due to increased consumer awareness of dietary supplements, particularly multivitamins, and the desire to maintain proper weight. The study also sees substantial growth in feminine products, contact lens solutions, and throat lozenges, troches, and gums. The Kline report says that nonprescription drug growth will be aided by several factors, including the growth of the over-65 p o p u l a t i o n important consumers of laxatives, vitamins, internal analgesics, and sleeping aids; the broadening of distribution to food stores and mass merchandisers; and the high cost of physician services, which will cause increased self-medication. Although more than 375 manufacturers supply the OTC market, the study finds that the market is dominated by 28 companies, which account for 75% of domestic sales of nonprescription drugs. The 10 largest manufacturers, each with sales of more than $70 million, account for 50% of total sales. D
New high-grade motor oil contains graphite This week Atlantic Richfield Co. begins marketing a new high-performance motor oil formulated with graphite. The multiviscosity lubricant, called ARCOgraphite, both reduces engine wear and improves fuel economy, according to company studies. It now becomes the company's premium-quality lubricant. The new product is petroleumbased and thus is unlike synthetic lubricants such as that developed by Mobil Oil (C&EN, Sept. 15, 1975, page 6). The synthetic oils, which must be made chemically instead of by simpler refinement processes, cost more than either conventional lubricants or the new graphite-containing product. Typically, the synthetic oils cost nearly $4.00 per quart compared to $1.25 for conventional lubricants and the suggested introductory $1.55 for Atlantic Richfield's new oil. The synthetic lubricants, however, need not be changed so often as other oils —a factor that can cut their effective cost by nearly half. Like the synthetic oils, the graphite-containing oil offers performance advantages over conventional oils. July 18. 1977 C&EN
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