FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BUSINESS SECTION, PAGE ONE:

WONDER DRUG UNDER INVESTIGATION BY FDA FOR LINK TO CANCER

Revita, the massively popular antiaging drug from Conquest Biotech, is under investigation by the federal Food and Drug Administration for potentially causing tumors of the spinal cord and brain, the Times has learned.

The FDA, through a spokesperson, confirmed Revita was the subject of an active investigation, but declined to comment further. However, sources both within the FDA and close to Conquest gave details about the investigation to the Times on condition of anonymity.

Dozens of patients who have used Revita have contracted cancer, the sources said. The drug, which is supposed to encourage healthy cell growth, apparently has damaged the cells’ reproductive process in some cases, leading to runaway cell division in nervous system tissue, causing tumors.

The sources within the FDA stressed that these findings are preliminary. But sources close to the company said that Conquest is aware of the complications caused by the drug, and may have even hidden these problems from federal investigators.

If true, these charges would be a massive blow to Conquest’s bottom line. Sales of Revita were responsible for 70 percent of Conquest’s revenues in the past year.

Legal experts say that this scandal could mean a class-­action lawsuit or worse against the company. “Liability for something like this could be in the billion-­dollar range,” said Michael Bartlett, a trial attorney specializing in high-­stakes liability cases. “If it’s true that the company knew the risks but put the drug on the market anyway, they could be looking at enormous punitive damages.”

A spokesperson for Conquest declined to comment. Efforts to reach Simon Oliver IV, the company’s recently installed chief executive, were unsuccessful.