Florida Doctor Facing 500 Years for Fake Cancer Medicine

Posted on December 07, 2016 by Shapiro Law Group

A Florida oncologist is facing 500 years in prison for giving cancer patients fake chemotherapy drugs. Investigators with the Department of Justice claim the doctor has given patients fake cancer medicine since 2009 to defraud Medicare.

According to investigators, many of the medications were from foreign countries and are not FDA approved. One of the businesses she ordered from gave her chemotherapy drugs without the key cancer-fighting ingredient. The doctor allegedly knew the drugs lacked the necessary chemicals, but gave her patients the fake medications anyways. Afterwards, while her patients were dying due to fake cancer treatments, she would file fraudulent Medicare claims.

Are There Other Cases of Doctors Prescribing Fake Cancer Medicine?

This is not the first time a doctor has faced charges for buying fake cancer medications from foreign suppliers. Over the last several years, there have been multiple cases of doctors purchasing non-FDA approved chemotherapy medications from questionable sources.

For example, dozens of patients received fake versions of Avastin, another chemotherapy medication, supplied by an online pharmacy called Canada Drugs. In another case, the FDA warned doctors that a New York company had distributed a version of Avastin that lacked the active ingredient.

Although doctors command a lot of respect in our society, there are always going to be bad apples. When these doctors cause harm to their patients by failing to treat them, or by causing intentional harm, they must be held accountable. In addition to criminal charges, negligent doctors could face medical malpractice lawsuits from patients or grieving family members.

Tags: Chemo

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