An elderly Miami resident is filing a lawsuit seeking more than $15,000 in damages after claiming he was injected with tainted eye medication given to him by South Florida clinics.
Antonio Salgado, 79, is one of the 12 patients who say they were blinded by the injection of the cancer drug, Avastin. The Avastin injections have proven to have been contaminated with streptococcus. Salgado is suing Avastin’s manufacturer, Genentech, the clinic that prescribed the injection, Leon Medical Centers, the local pharmacy, Infupharma, as well as South Florida Eye Associates.
“At first, it looked like someone punched him because his eye was all swollen. All the bone was swollen. Then when we tried to open his eye, it was already white. It was completely white, we couldn’t see anything,” said Teresita Salgado, who is now taking care of her father.
Salgado’s attorney, Philip Gold, says Salgado had seven previous Avastin injections without a problem, but that the eighth one was clearly contaminated.
“The lawsuit is simply to use the civil justice system to hold the makers and manufactures, the distributors of this defective product responsible,” said Gold.
Doctors have told Salgado that they don’t know if the blindness is a permanent condition. Other affected patients have come forward as well, including Elia Aguilar, who was injected on the same day as Salgado. She is also pressing charges for her “serious personal injury…pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement and mental anguish.”
Infupharma, the local compounding pharmacy has stated, “We have voluntarily agreed to cease compounding this particular drug until such time, as we have been able to identify the cause of the problem. We have notified the state department of health in writing, that we would do so. This investigation is still ongoing and we need to let the process work its way through.”
Teresita said she will stand by her father’s side. “I have faith that the Lord that I serve will heal him, and I will have my father back,” she said.
If someone you love is injured by a defective product, contact the Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary for help.