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Forensic Report Ties Contaminated Fentanyl to Higher Death Risk in 38 of 40 Cases

A risk-based assessment by the Supreme Court’s medical examiners reinforces the La Plata criminal probe into HLB Pharma and Laboratorios Ramallo.

Overview

  • The Cuerpo Médico Forense found the contaminated drug increased the risk of death in 38 of the 40 hospital cases it reviewed.
  • Lab work cited in the case identified multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella variicola and Ralstonia mannitolilytica in the fentanyl ampoules.
  • The finding revises an August report that had described a concausal role in fewer cases by reframing the analysis around mortality risk.
  • Federal investigators in La Plata are examining more than a hundred suspected victims, with prosecutions targeting HLB Pharma, Laboratorios Ramallo and owner Ariel García Furfaro, and the report also supports potential charges over injuries to survivors.
  • Defense attorneys say experts still did not establish a direct, sole causal nexus for any individual death.