FORT LUPTON - It's a mix up that could end up costing the life of an unborn baby. The Safeway pharmacy off Dexter Street in Fort Lupton gave a pregnant woman not just the wrong prescription, but possibly the worst prescription the woman could get.
Mareena Silva, 19, went to the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics and instead was given a drug most often used to treat cancer, but can also cause a pregnant woman to miscarry.
The pharmacy mixed up Silva's prescription with that of another woman with the same last name, but a slightly different first name.
Mareena Silva, who is six weeks pregnant, was given a drug called Methotrexate.
"For a woman that's pregnant, especially in the six to eight week range, Methotrexate stops cell division- which is what is happening during that first trimester. Because of that the baby could be aborted, or have serious birth defects," 9Health Reporter Dr. John Torres.
The Colorado Board of Pharmacy says they see only about a half dozen of these cases a year and the board is now investigating that pharmacy.
"Each investigation has its own unique characteristics. And it can take each investigation anywhere from three to six months. At this point, if there are finding of malicious intent, the pharmacy can have its license revoked by the board," Chris Lines with the Colorado Board of Pharmacy said.
Safeway released this statement: "We have policies and procedures that were not followed. We are very concerned about how this happened and we are conducting a full and complete investigation."
Safeway has also offered to pay any medical expenses Silva has incurred. story taken from
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx? ... &catid=339
