Yzabelle Bostyn
Have you been affected by Nolotil? Email us: tips@theolivepress.es
Nolotil campaigner Cristina del Campo has claimed sinister political pressure is behind the drug being so readily available in Spain.
Speaking as the Olive Press launches a campaign against the lethal drug for northern European tourists and expats, she explained her seven-year investigation into Nolotil is part of a wider crusade against Big Pharma.
The president of the Association for Drug Affected People (ADAF), claims Spanish authorities and pharmaceutical companies are simply ‘ignoring reports’, ‘hiding things’ and ‘indoctrinating us to buy more medicine.’
“They shouldn’t be selling drugs like shampoo,” she told the Olive Press. “Yet if you watch TV in Spain there’s hundreds of adverts for medicine.
“I have never seen anything like that in England,” she added.
The campaigner, who has been fighting for the prohibition of Nolotil since 2017, claims that the drug is still being promoted due to ‘personal interests’.
“Nolotil is a very clear example of a social problem. I do a lot of media interviews in Spain and they always put a doctor in at the end saying Nolotil is safe,” she said.
“They have been trained by pharmaceutical companies to say so because it’s in their interest to sell more Nolotil.”
Sometimes, she claims, journalists are even ‘forbidden’ by their bosses from talking about the drug.
She said: “I have spoken to so many journalists who tell me they won’t let me publish this because we have commercial agreements with (manufacturer) Boehringer Ingelheim and/or the government.”
Her claims follow a recent marketing campaign by the Spanish Medicine Agency (AEMPS) promoting Nolotil, a drug known to be capable of causing severe side effects in many of Spain’s half a million British expats.
The point is, while it may not be dangerous for Spaniards, it is potentially lethal for many other nationalities.
It has been linked to dozens of deaths and is banned in 40 countries globally, including the UK, America and Sweden.
“I have over 100 cases of British people who have either died or been very ill due to Nolotil, had amputations and worse,” added Cristina, a medical translator turned campaigner.
“Something needs to be done about this as nobody’s taking any notice.
“Unless you want to lose more tourists, I suggest you do something about it. And I know we get 18 million British tourists in Spain every year so it’s no joke.”
As part of her tireless campaigning, the Alicante-based medical translator hopes to ‘stop’ the marketing of medical products.
“Because of the Association for Drug Affected People (ADAF), I’m getting a lot of people affected by other drugs.
“There are a lot of medicines creating terrible problems for people. I want to fight all of them.”
Despite sleepless nights and investing a lot of her own money into her campaign, Cristina is thinking of expanding her crusade worldwide.
“I’m thinking of expanding my association to the USA, UK and more.
“The more people that join the association, the stronger we get.”
Now, Del Campo has been campaigning for seven years and her work pushed the Spanish government to issue a directive in 2018 banning the dispensation of Nolotil to expats without a prescription.
The Olive Press also launched a ‘Kill the Drug’ campaign in 2017, which supported her aims, raising awareness massively around the country.
Indeed, the Olive Press first spoke to Cristina in 2017 to hear of the many horror stories she had already compiled by then.
Editor Jon Clarke later praised her incredible campaigning in early 2019 after the authorities finally acted to warn about the risks of the drug for certain foreigners.
This month we have now decided to relaunch the campaign to push for tougher regulations on the drug, as well as urge medical professionals to pledge to actually follow the 2018 directive.
It came as a result of the death of 42-year-old British expat Mark Brooks and the ADAF’s recent criminal complaint against the Spanish Medical Agency (AEMPS).
To learn more about how you can help, please visit the ADAF website or donate here.
Have you been affected by Nolotil? Email us: tips@theolivepress.es
