Patient Harm
Oncologist Who Bought Cancer Drugs from Fake Drug Sellers Sentenced to Six Years in Prison
Dr. Diana Anda Norbergs, a Florida oncologist convicted in November 2016 of importing misbranded, non-FDA approved cancer drugs from unlicensed suppliers, has been sentenced to almost six years in federal prison, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times. The Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment alleged that Norbergs purchased prescription cancer treatments from unlicensed foreign…
[...]Counterfeit Cosmetic Treatments are Injuring and Killing U.S. Women
A series of recent cases across the country illustrate how dangerous unlicensed and counterfeit cosmetic treatments can be. Having filler injected should be considered a medical procedure, not a cosmetic treatment. The FDA has NOT approved liquid silicone or silicone gel for injection to fill wrinkles or augment tissues anywhere in the body.
In the last two months, three cases illustrated just how dangerous it is to seek beauty treatment injections from anyone other than a licensed medical professional . . .
[...]Women in 2 States Indicted in Separate Clandestine Silicone Injection Scams
Update: In May 2017, Deanna Roberts pleaded guilty to illegally injecting persons with liquid silicone and for introducing liquid silicone that was obtained by fraud into interstate commerce. Roberts, who continued to administer industrial grade silicone injections even after she knew that one her patients had died and others had been hospitalized, was sentenced to…
[...]Florida woman sentenced to 11 years after killing and sickening victims with illegal silicone injections
Deanna Roberts, 47, of Sanford, Florida, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison after pleading guilty to “illegally injecting persons with liquid silicone and for introducing liquid silicone that was obtained by fraud into interstate commerce.” Between April 2004 and December 2015, Roberts injected illegally obtained silicone into the hips, buttocks, and…
[...]Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl Contribute to 130 Deaths in Bay Area Since 2015
A San Francisco area news station, NBC Bay Area conducted a survey of Bay Area counties and found at least 130 fentanyl-related deaths since 2015. NBC Bay Area spoke to John Martin, special agent in charge for the drug agency’s San Francisco division. Special Agent Martin told them “What we’ve seen here in Northern California…
[...]Death of Ottawa Teens Blamed on Counterfeit Percocet Made with Fentanyl
Investigators confirm that pills found near Chloe Kotval’s body were fake Percocet containing a lethal dose of fentanyl. She is the youngest Canadian to be killed by fentanyl-laced fake medication, but hardly the first. Chloe Kotval, a 14 year old Ottawa high school student died on February 14, 2017 after taking a counterfeit pill laced…
[...]Betty Hunter’s Death Illustrates Danger of Fake Drugs
Arizona resident Betty Hunter died of lung cancer, but how much longer would she have lived if her oncologist had not treated her with counterfeit Avastin? A recent Danish documentary tells the tragic story of Arizona grandmother Betty Hunter, who in 2011 sought treatment for her lung cancer at an oncology clinic in Chandler Arizona.…
[...]Mexican Hospitals Treated Children With Counterfeit Chemotherapy Drugs
An investigation into the corruption of former Governor Javier Duarte has uncovered allegations that children with cancer were treated in state-run hospitals in Veracruz with counterfeit chemotherapy medicines due to budget shortfalls and lack of resources caused by his administration. The BBC reports, that when tested, the counterfeit chemotherapy drugs came back as an inert…
[...]Prince Died As Result of Taking Fake Hydrocodone Pills that Contained Fentanyl
When Prince Rogers Nelson died in April, it was reported that he died of an apparent overdose of opiates, which he had used to combat chronic hip pain. Now a new report from Minneapolis indicates he died as a result of taking counterfeit hydrocodone containing deadly fentanyl. Prince Rogers Nelson, an American musician and performer,…
[...]DEA Considers Fentanyl-Containing Counterfeit Medications a Global Threat
As counterfeit pills containing various fentanyl analogues are killing people all over the United States, the DEA takes a measure of this deadly and growing counterfeit drug epidemic. The recent arrival of large amounts of “counterfeit prescription drugs containing fentanyls” is causing an explosive growth in overdose deaths in the United States, according to a…
[...]