Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ) - Health Professional Version

The National Cancer Institute's official clinical summary on laetrile/amygdalin. States amygdalin was first isolated in 1830 and used as an anticancer agent in Russia as early as 1845, with first recorded US use as a cancer treatment in the early 1920s; describes the trophoblastic and vitamin-deficiency ('vitamin B-17') theories and states 'there is no evidence that laetrile is needed for normal metabolism or that it can function as a vitamin in animals or humans'; summarizes the 1982 Moertel NEJM trial result (one partial responder among 175 evaluable patients, disease progression in all patients by seven months); states laetrile 'is not approved for use in the United States' by the FDA and 'continues to be manufactured and administered as an anticancer therapy, primarily in Mexico, and in some clinics in the United States.' Fetched directly 2026-08-21; last-updated date shown on page.