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16 babies die after clinic dispenses fake medication

A clinic has been fined $340,000 for giving fake medication to premature babies, of which 16 died, paving the way for a criminal prosecution.

The deaths took place at the Laura Daniela Clinic in the city of Valledupar in the northeastern Colombian department of Cesar.

The premature newborns were given the cut-price medication that turned out to be fake during the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017.

Health superintendent Fabio Aristizabal Angel told local media that the clinic’s medications were compared to the originals from the ABBCIE Laboratory and confirmed to be different.

The Laura Daniela Clinic in the city of Valledupar where the medicine was given to the premature babies. Source: CEN/ Australscope
The Laura Daniela Clinic in the city of Valledupar where the medicine was given to the premature babies. Source: CEN/ Australscope

“The clinic bought products from a provider called VC Medical, but they did not have a stable commercial standing and failed to provide documentation stating the name of the medicines that were bought and sold,” he said.

“In addition, the provider of the medicine Survanta did not register itself with the local authorities.”

Anny Rada, one of the victims’ mothers, said the fine was a step in the right direction.

“For us, it is good that the authorities intervened and now the situation can be considered as homicide,” she said.

Mother Maria Cristina Tabares revealed she suffered a double tragedy thank to the medicine, losing her daughter while her son lost a lung.

Mother Diana de Armas urged prosecutors to investigate the deaths as homicide.

Luis Avendano, lawyer to the victims’ families, said that the attorney general’s office has yet to comment on the next stage of action.

So far the clinic has not commented on the case.

Australscope