Pemex and laboratory blamed for contaminated medication in Tabasco hospital

. would have been the company in charge of producing the sodium heparin that was administered to the patients with serious health affectation in a Pemex hospital in the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco.

The head of the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Health Risks (Cofepris) , José Alonso Novelo Baeza , said that this company would allegedly produce the medication. This is one of the five companies investigated by the federal government for monopolistic practices and that has been accused of being related to the shortage of medicines in the health sector, especially of methotrexate , which is administered to cancer patients.

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“The alleged responsible of the incident, a medication by Laboratorios PISA , the company intervened to its right and responsibility of beginning a due investi g ation. At the same time, the health authority of Tabasco is working in a process of investigation and traceability,” said Novelo Baeza .

In the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco, three patients have passed away in the Pemex Regional Hospital after the administration of the contaminated sodium heparin used for hemodialysis.

So far, 42 patients have been affected: 22 have received ambulatory care, 16 are hospitalized, and 4 are in intensive care.

Interviewed after his participation in an event to commemorate the Obesity World Day in the Health Ministry , Novelo Baeza said that they have already taken samples and delivered them to the laboratory that will perform the investigation through a culture process to know the specific conditions of the medication that was administered to the patients.

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This investigation will seek to clarify whether the medication given to the affected patients was altered or falsified , and even if it was actually made by Laboratorios PISA .

“This investigation will take several days in order to have more information. Irresponsibly rushing can complicate the matter for the patients , the institute , and the laboratory ,” he said.

“The analysis has already begun; the product has been seized , the samples have been taken and delivered to the laboratory for its culture and we’re waiting for the biological process of the cultures. In 48 hours , we will have more complete results because it's dynamic . It’s a matter of time to inform. The results will be ready by Saturday .”

All processes must be investigated since the alleged bacteria that affected the patients in Tabasco could be present in different processes and even in the hemodialysis equipment with which the patients were treated, so he asked not to make anyone responsible but to wait for the investigation to be over before blaming the company.

In the meantime, Pemex has suspended the treatments it was providing to prevent further affectations.

“A series of persons are reported to be allegedly damaged by medication, I say allegedly for there are other factors that can cause it, such as the hemodialysis equipment in this case. The first part or instance that is obliged to take measures is the institution that suffered the incident. Pemex seized all the suspected medication immediately and interrupted the hemodialysis procedures as should be.”

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However, on Thursday , the president of the State Commission for Medical Conciliation and Arbitration (Cecamet) , Manuel Fernández Torrano , pointed Pemex and Laboratorios PISA as the responsible of the 67 affected patients.

In this regard, Cofepris pointed Laboratorios PISA as the allegedly responsible for the medication and added that it does not have a contract with Pemex since 2018 .

Fernández Torrano

said that having administered the contaminated medication was a multifunctional failure and asserted that it is not easy to attend the damage caused by the Klebsiella bacteria, most of all when the patient is in intensive care.

“From a generic perspective , the responsibility belongs to the hospital . The hospital can be blamed, but the factor that caused it all is the medication, and so responsibilities will be derived in all senses,” he said.

He added that the damage caused by Klebsiella in a patient with chronic kidney failure , which in addition has low immune system, causes a crisis and presented two scenarios: “[The medication] was either contaminated where it was made , or it was contaminated where it was applied because the technician of the are did not do it correctly.”

Fernández Torrano warned that there is the risk that the patients affected by this bacteria infect the machines and harm other people.

For its part, Laboratorios PISA has said that it has no contract with Pemex since 2018 . Allegedly the sodium heparin would have been sold to Pemex by an independent supplier, called Jose Roche Pérez , for the bidding for this medication in 2020 was declared null , that is, no laboratory wanted to sell this treatment to Pemex.

Laboratorios PISA said that, for the moment, it does not have an official stand on the case, for it is an ongoing investigation .

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