Dirty Syringes From Plant Kill and Injure: FDA Could Have Intervened
Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, Esquire and Catherine Bertram, Esquire
Natalie Fullerton's father feels like he is responsible for the death of his child, but he's not. After a successful lung transplant, Natalie was thriving. Her loving father tirelessly cared for her post-surgery, administering medication with the use of syringes. The syringes, however, were manufactured at a factory owned by a Lake Zurich businessman. And they were contaminated. Natalie died. She was 2 1/2 years old.
The tainted syringes from the plant are now "linked to four deaths and 162 illnesses nationwide, including 22 in Illinois", according to ChicagoTribune.com. The report comments that "an examination of inspection reports and other documents shows that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration missed several chances to stop the tainted syringes from being used by patients."
According to the article, just three months before the contaminated syringes were shipped (in October 2007), "an FDA inspector visited the plant in North Carolina where they were made. She investigated reports of red, brown and black particles in syringes and reported that managers had a plan to deal with rust." Those plans were either faulty or non-existent, and teh FDA did not follow-up sufficiently it is suggested.
"A week later, when the FDA learned a distributor was recalling 1.3 million of the syringes, the agency should have launched a thorough inspection, according to its operations manual. That didn't happen, an FDA spokeswoman now says, because the agency is so understaffed it no longer follows the policy unless the recalled product poses a reasonable probability of serious injuries or deaths."
The bacteria on the syringes never should have entered the marketplace. And, unfortunately, there is plenty of blame to go around. The owner of the plant is now a fugitive of law. He fled the country and is trying to evade charges that could land him 95 years on prison.
When dispensing medical devices, medical providers must be sure they are sterilized. Manufacturers and distributors must do the same. Natalie may not be the last victim of corporate greed and carelessness, but the FDA must do more to protect Americans of all ages. That's what we pay them to do.
Our firm has experience pursing cases for patients that involve tragic medication or other medical errors. If you think your providers have ignored your symptoms, we encourage you to read an article regarding medical malpractice authored by senior partner Salvatore Zambri.
For information about your legal rights, please click here or contact us at Regan Zambri & Long, PLLC at 202-463-3030.