Mumbai: Wrong medicine sends 64-year-old on life support

Bharatiya Generic Aushadhe in front of KEM hospital, in Parel, on Thursday. Pic/Atul Kamble

A 64-year-old man from Parel is on life support and his wife is under observation at KEM hospital after unknowingly taking medicines meant to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis every day for 15 days.

The couple suffers from depression and the wife had gone to buy their antidepressants when the pharmacist at Bharatiya Generic Aushadhe gave her the wrong medicine, claiming their components were the same.

The Bhoiwada police have booked the pharmacist, Mangya Vasave, 25, under Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC. Police are also checking whether he is qualified to sell medicines.

For the past three-four year, the couple had been taking an antidepressant prescribed by the doctors at KEM hospital. They ran out of their medicine on February 8, and the 54-year-old wife took the prescription to Bharatiya Generic Aushadhe near KEM hospital.

He claimed components are same

At the shop, Vasave gave her Methotrexate 7.5, a different medicine, instead, cops said. When she questioned, he told her that the name is different because it's the generic version of the medicine they had been taking, but the components were the same, police added.

The accused from Bhartiya Generic Aushadhe has been booked for ‘causing grievous hurt by act endangering life'. Pic/Atul Kamble

The woman bought six strips of Methotrexate 7.5 and took it daily for the next 10 days, until the husband developed patches on his body and complained of breathlessness accompanied by fever. Their son admitted him to KEM hospital on February 20, as his condition deteriorated.

When the doctors enquired about the couple's medical history, the 33-year-old son handed over the medicine strips to them. "The doctors were shocked. They told us that Methotrexate 7.5 is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. The medicine's side effects have deteriorated my father's condition," he told mid-day.

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"When the medical store was questioned about the medicine, the man at the counter confessed to giving the woman Methotrexate 7.5. The wrong medicine has put the couple in medical trauma," said an officer from Bhoiwada police station.

The son said, "My father is unresponsive and on life support in ICU, while my mother's platelets have dropped significantly and she is under observation. The person who has caused this grievous trauma should face serious consequences."

‘Check with doctor'

Speaking with mid-day, Dr Shivkumar Utture, president, Maharashtra Medical Council, said people should always ask their doctors if they have any doubts. "Many times, the person at the chemist counter is not a pharmacist. Sometimes, they might get confused with the names of the medicine. But, this looks like a case of sheer negligence, as one scheduled drug has been replaced with another. To avoid such a situation, one should always crosscheck the medicines with their doctors if they have any doubt," Utture added. He also said that generic medicines should not be demonised for this episode.

Feb 8
Day the couple started taking the wrong medicine