Painkiller Injection Led To Two Deaths

Investigator: Painkiller Injection Led To Two Deaths

POSTED: 8:32 am PDT April 27, 2007
UPDATED: 8:53 am PDT April 27, 2007


http://www.kptv.com/news/13210777/detail.html


A painkiller injection at a Portland naturopath clinic is being blamed for killing at least two people, investigators said.

According to our news partner, The Portland Tribune, two people have died from an overdose of the homeopathic drug Colchicine, and there’s likely a third victim.

The Tribune reported that the medicine given to the patients for neck and back aches may have been mislabeled by a Texas-based drug manufacturer.


The manufacturer Apothecure sent the Center for Integrative Medicine in southwest Portland several vials of the drug Colchicine, but the drug was 10 times stronger than the label indicated.

Investigators said just one injection could kill a person.

“Who knows what else is being produced by this company who sells drugs around the country at a discount,” said Portland Tribune reporter Peter Korn.

According to Korn, doctors at the clinic became suspicious when two patients who were given the drug died days later.

One of the physicians at the clinic told the Tribune that “Everybody who gets into medicine wants to help people. To be involved with something that actually killed people is kind of devastating.”

The Tribune also stated Apothecure may have been selling drugs in Oregon without a license.

Health officials across the United States are trying to determine if the bad batch of Colchicine has been given to any other patients.

Colchicine is a pain reliever used to treat gout, which causes inflammation in joints. The drug is also used to treat some types of arthritis.

The side effects of Colchicine include an upset stomach, difficulty breathing and unusual bleeding or bruising.

The prescription is normally given as a tablet and should always be taken with food.

For additional coverage, visit the Portland Tribune’s Web site.
Copyright 2007 by KPTV.com. All rights reserved.


http://www.kptv.com/news/13210777/detail.html
Tweet