Ketek Tragedy
At 80-years-old, Betty Watson was a vibrant and active member of her small-town Idaho community. She loved reading, playing cards, and spending time with her grandchildren. Suffering from a rare neuromuscular condition called Myasthenia Gravis, which can cause the skeletal muscles to weaken, she was otherwise in relatively good health according to her doctor.
On November 27, 2005 she told her granddaughter Katie that she felt a sinus infection coming on and wanted to get put on antibiotics before it became more severe. She discussed her condition with a local doctor and he prescribed Ketek, a relatively new drug manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis. The prescription was called in and picked up at the local pharmacy that evening. When asked if there was anything the pharmacy should know about Watson's condition, Katie informed them that she had Myasthenia Gravis. She took her first dose at about 9:30 and within three hours, Betty Watson was dead. But why?
Rushed to the hospital after complaining of difficulty breathing, Watson's heart stopped and she died in the ambulance en-route. The official cause of death was determined as respiratory failure. But something didn't sit right with Watson's family and they began to research information about the drug Ketek. They went to the drug's website and found a strict warning that Ketek was not to be prescribed to patients with Myasthenia Gravis because it could exacerbate the condition and cause respiratory failure within hours. Something they say they were never told by the doctor or the pharmacy and was not indicated on the package.
With this information the family requested an autopsy, but was denied even after offering to pay for it out-of-pocket. They were told by the Medical Examiner's office that she died naturally of respiratory failure and an autopsy was unnecessary. They briefly considered legal action but felt "drug companies have a much deeper pocket than the little people".
Since their grandmother's death, the family filed formal complaints with the FDA and the Idaho State Board of Medicine claiming the "drug prescribing error" was the primary cause of death, which they feel received little attention and admission of responsibility. More than a year later, the only response they received from the FDA was an automated message thanking them for their submission. The Idaho Board of Medicine told us they would not discuss individual cases over the phone.
With at least four Ketek-related deaths confirmed since it hit the market in 2004, the FDA has since issued stricter warnings and are currently investigating the drug's approval process. Little consolation for a family who in their eyes needlessly lost their matriarch.
At this point, the focus of Betty Watson's family is to cherish her memory by sharing her story with as many people as possible, and hoping to encourage all patients to thoroughly research medical conditions, maintain a constant dialogue with their physicians, and not be afraid to ask questions when prescribed medication.