Doctor struck off after prescribing cancer patient potentially fatal alternative medicine

Doctor struck off after prescribing cancer patient potentially fatal alternative medicine David De Clive-Lowe’s cancer treatment included injecting 'large amounts of Vitamin C' - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A doctor who convinced his patient he could “cure” their “advanced cancer” with potentially “fatal” alternative medicine, which included injecting “large amounts of Vitamin C” has been struck off. Dr David De Clive-Lowe, 70, had “conflated his roles as a doctor and alternative therapist”, which led to his patient being “urgently admitted” to hospital with “severe bleeding” and potentially “serious consequences to their prognosis”. His patient went into debt after Dr De Clive-Lowe's promises. He had been practising in Norway at the time and was struck off the medical register there for serious misconduct. However, he failed to notify the medical register in the UK - leading to him now being struck off by the Medical Professionals Tribunal Service [MPTS]. Dr De Clive-Lowe registered as a doctor in the UK in 1979 and in Norway in 1998. He ran his own private practice called Leuthenklinikken AS in the Scandinavian country. While practising as a medical doctor, he also offered alternative medicines such as acupuncture and suction cups. In 2018 and 2019, the Norwegian medical board found him to have committed a number of breaches by “conflating his roles as a doctor and alternative therapist” when treating patients for conditions such as thyroid disorder. This “created a risk that the patients receive treatment that appears to be effective without actually being so” and “imposed needless expense” on them. In 2019, the board placed a number of conditions on Dr De Clive-Lowe’s practice to protect his patients, including having to be supervised while giving treatment. He then informed the board that he would cease practising as a medical doctor and focus on alternative therapies. But in the spring of 2021, the Norwegian government received a number of reports concerning Dr De Clive-Lowe. This included reports from multiple pharmacies indicating that he had prescribed medication in breach of the conditions placed upon his practice. But one report was from the father of one of the doctor’s patients, who had “advanced cancer”, saying that people still referred to him as “doctor” and believed he was medically practising. The report said: “Dr De Clive-Lowe's treatment of the patient consisted of large quantities of vitamin C that were injected directly into the blood vessel, and that he claimed that, using this, he could cure the patient's cancer “The notification recorded that the patient believed that they would recover from the cancer as a result of the treatment which they had received from 2020. “The patient paid 1,600 krone (£130) per round of treatment and had accrued debt to cover this. “The notification stated that during this treatment the patient's state of health deteriorated rapidly.” He was “immediately admitted” to hospital by a GP but the patient “refused” further examination and treatment despite being informed about the “serious consequences to their prognosis”. In 2021, the patient was “urgently admitted” to hospital because of “severe bleeding”. They started radiation therapy, but the delays in proper treatment led to an investigation by the medical board. It found that: “Vitamin C was to be used for treatment when deficiency of Vitamin C had been diagnosed. “There was no scientific basis to say that Vitamin C had any documented effect either in treatment of cancer disease, mitigation of chemotherapy side effects or strengthened the human immune system. “The Board considered that administering such treatment to be of no effect to a seriously ill cancer patient and was professionally irresponsible.” But perhaps more worryingly, it was found that the doctor had also administered Venofer to the patient, a prescription-only drug which can be “fatal” if improperly used - which it was. The Board determined that: “Dr De Clive-Lowe’s assertion that Vitamin C had a well-documented effect on the immune system was incorrect. “There was no scientific proof of Vitamin C’s treatment effect on the human immune system. “The Board considered that, in line with Dr De Clive-Lowe’s duty to inform, he ought to have advised the patient that vitamin C had no effect in regard to strengthening the immune system, that he administered Venofer outside the approved indication and without taking into account of the danger of serious side-effects linked to Venofer.” The patient paid 12,800 krone (£1,033) in total for the treatments, and 1,500 krone (£121) for each consultation. On May 6, 2022, the Norwegian medical board found: “He was unfit to practise his profession as a doctor in a safe and responsible manner on the grounds of ‘significant lack of professional competence’ and ‘significant breach of duty’. “This meant that he could no longer work as, or claim the title of, doctor.” The UK General Medical Council was subsequently informed of Dr De Clive-Lowe’s actions and striking off in Norway - but not by the doctor himself, as the guidelines state he should have done. The MPTS has now determined: “That Dr De Clive-Lowe’s fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct and a determination by another regulator’. “Overall, the Tribunal concluded that the seriousness of the matters in this case placed it at the upper end of the relevant sanctions range and that erasure was the only suitable and proportionate sanction. “It considered that Dr De Clive-Lowe’s misconduct and determination from another regulator undermines his ability to practise safely and effectively and is incompatible with continued registration.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments