Gd Searle had the patent on saccharin. When it ran out they needed a new sweetner and got asparatame. It was disproved by food and drug several times until Rumsfeld got Reagan to appoint one more member on to food and drug panel. Then it was approved. meanwhile gd Searle sponsored paid for fake test that mixed tons of saccharin with another factor which caused bladder cancer in mice so then saccharin was labeled as cancer causing for decades even though it didn't. Rummy was president of gd Searle. Sacharrin is the safest sweetener known to man.