Dichloroacetate acid (DCA) is an acidic chemical compound that has 3 hydrogen atoms, wherein 2 are substituted with chlorine atoms. The compound has salt properties, which are referred to as dichloroacetates. The DCA chemistry is typical with organic acids that are halogenated. When in its pure form, the pK of dichloroacetate acid is 1.48. In this form, the compound is corrosive and destructive to the body’s respiratory tract and mucous membrane tissues. Dissolving dichloroacetate acid in water produces dichloroacetate ion or sodium dichloroacetate. Another type of salt occurring from DCA is potassium dichloroacetate.

According to pre-clinical and early case findings, DCA may be effective in treating lactic acidosis. However, there are controlled trials that discovered the inefficiency of dichloroacetate acid in the survival or long-term health of the patient. What is more, the subjects of the clinical trial are not capable of proceeding with DCA as medication because of progressing toxicities. There has been previous randomly controlled trial that involved kids with inborn lactic acidosis. There is also a separate DCA trial in kids that have insufficient mitochondrial function that leads to the main focus of DCA treatment trial, which is lactic acidosis. Another trial is performed on adults that are affected with lactic acidosis.

Doctors have warned their patients and the public regarding the potential dangers of dichloroacetate acid treatment especially if DCA is taken outside the control of a clinical trial. Medical experts state that the person taking in the medication will not know that the he or she may have developed side effects because of the compound. The worse thing that could happen to them is the failure of their liver functions.

Despite the warning of doctors and specialists, there are still some patients who are treating themselves with a simple form of DCA. Plenty of these patients are taking in the medication without the knowledge of their doctors. Plus, some of the drugs are not enrolled in systematic or controlled clinical studies. These certain individuals think that DCA serves as their last hope for survival, what with a lot of statements regarding the incurability of cancer. But for the specialists who know more about drugs and their effects, they believe that taking in untested medications is not safe.

Dichloroacetate acid is hugely available. However, it lacks patent from the Food and Drug Administration. According to basic laboratory experiments and tests in animal subjects, DCA has revealed a possibility of curing cancer. However, there is no guarantee that it will actually work for humans. What is more, there is a fear that side effects could worsen the health problem of the patient taking it. The scientists, who have studied dichloroacetate acid as potential cancer drug, fear that injuries or deaths caused by the unregulated use of DCA may pose threats to their work. They also fear the long-term effects of the drug to the patients.

No matter how much doctors all over the world have warned the people about the possible dangers of DCA, there are still a lot of individuals taking it. As a matter of fact, there are some patients that are attempting to provide more information regarding the benefits of dichloroacetate acid. Aside from information, there have also been attempts to prepare DCA as a safe medication for the people. This attempt has led to the formulation of sodium dichloroacetate as the substitute for DCA.