State Medical Examiner's Office ID's Drug Lot Preparation Error as Cause of Three NW Deaths

ApotheCure Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, distributed the drug lot to the Center for Integrative Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Photo: ApotheCure Inc.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - An investigation by the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office revealed that a drug lot preparation error led to two, and possibly three, deaths due to colchicine toxicity in Oregon and Washington. Two of the deaths occurred in Portland and the other death occurred in Yakima County, Washington.

According to Dr. Christopher Young, Deputy State Medical Examiner, the investigation revealed that the toxicity was the result of an error by ApotheCure Inc. where an intravenous preparation of colchicine was prepared at nearly 10 times the desired concentration.

ApotheCure Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, distributed the drug lot to the Center for Integrative Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Three individuals received colchicine from the defective lot of colchicine and all three people died. Two of the three deaths presented to hospitals and were treated as suspected colchicine toxicity. The third death was initially attributed to a heart attack but is now believed to be due to colchicine toxicity.

While colchicine is more commonly given orally to treat gouty arthritis, in these cases the drug was administered to the patients intravenously to treat back pain.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office has sequestered the remaining vials of colchicine from the clinics where it was administered in Oregon and Washington. ApotheCure Inc. has indicated to the State Medical Examiner's Office that no other clinics received colchicine from this lot.

Information regarding ApotheCure Inc. can be found on their web site at apothecure.com/index1.php .

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It is also worth noting that this drug, which should be used cautiously under the best of circumstances due to heavy duty side effects, was being used off-label for "alternative therapy" in a manner that few insurance companies will reimburse for. The lot may have been misformulated, but the questionable manner in which the drug was being used (IV therapy) certainly didn't help the mortality rate.

Thank you for the warning as I too use this medication daily though product from another country and not intravenously.

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