Deaths from contaminated clinical fentanyl in Argentina rise to 34

The clinical use of fentanyl contaminated with bacteria is wreaking havoc on the Argentine healthcare system. The Ministry of Health has already confirmed a total of 69 people suspected of being infected and the deaths of 33 hospital patients who had been administered the drug. In recent hours, another death has been added, but it has not yet been included in the official report.

The federal courts and the National Drug Administration (ANMAT) have warned that there are at least three batches containing the contaminated opioid — not just one, as had been believed at the beginning of the crisis — and have ordered they be located and the urgent suspension of its use in the country.

All the victims were detected in health centers: they were hospitalized for other conditions and, when given fentanyl as a painkiller, became infected with bacteria that cause serious illnesses, such as pneumonia. Technical analysis found the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Ralstonia pickettii bacteria in both the infected individuals and in the HLB Pharma Group injectable fentanyl, produced by that firm and also by Laboratorio Ramallo.

The latest official epidemiological report details that, as of May 23, the affected individuals are in the provinces of Buenos Aires (20 cases), Santa Fe (46), and the Argentine capital (2), jurisdictions located in the center of the South American country. Another suspected case is under investigation in the Patagonian province of Neuquén. Most of the fatalities are among men aged between 45 and 64. Health authorities fear there may be many more infected people than those detected so far.

As part of the ongoing investigation, Federal Judge Ernesto Kreplak ordered the closure of the laboratories involved, the suspension of their operations, and the seizure of documentation and materials found at their various locations, which were raided. Five drug distribution companies were also searched. Among other measures, the judge required all health centers and drugstores in the country to report whether they purchased the product Fentanyl HLB/Fentanyl Citrate and, if so, to detail where it was distributed or stored.

ANMAT announced Tuesday that the court order to recover and quarantine the contaminated product covers three batches of the drug. Until then, and since May 13, when the formal investigation began, the order was limited to a single batch of the drug.

The court case examines the alleged negligence and failure to comply with controls by the laboratory managers, who face possible charges of homicide and supplying substances hazardous to health.

The same person, Ariel García Furfaro, is behind both laboratories under investigation. The businessman entered the pharmaceutical sector less than a decade ago. He is accused of fraud in a case still pending, and was imprisoned for bodily harm at the beginning of the century.

In recent years, HLB Pharma has accumulated multiple sanctions from ANMAT for falsifying products or labels, lacking traceability, or deficient controls. However, it has been gaining ground as a supplier to public agencies; according to various reports, thanks to Furfaro’s ties to politics, particularly the Peronist party. His partner at Laboratorio Ramallo, Jorge Salinas, was involved in a notorious case in Argentina involving the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and drug trafficking, known as the “drug mafia.”

To further complicate matters, businessman Sebastián Nanini, a lawyer linked to the Peronist party in Buenos Aires Province, appeared in the court case, claiming to have acquired the majority stake in HLB Pharma from Furfaro. In his filing, he asserted that the purchase occurred after the contaminated fentanyl was produced. Everything will be subject to investigation.

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