A San Diego nurse was sentenced to three years of probation for removing drugs from a La Jolla clinic and replacing them with saline solution, according to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy’s office.
Registered nurse Sarah Elizabeth Martin, 25, was sentenced to three years of probation, a $1,000 fine and 100 hours of community service for removing Meperidine Hydrochloride, a generic form of Demerol, from vials at a clinic, officials said. She will also have to pay restitution and complete a six-month residential drug rehabilitation program.
Martin, who acknowledged during her sentencing that she had developed an addiction to pain medication because of her actions, glued the vials' caps back on after she switched the solutions and placed the vials back in the locker to be used for other patients.
“Consumers and especially patients rely on FDA to ensure that the prescription drugs they take are safe and effective; when actions compromise either the safety or the effectiveness of those medications, we will intervene,” said Lisa L. Malinowski, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations’ Los Angeles Field Office, in a statement. “We will continue our vigilance and work to ensure that those who violate the public’s trust and endanger the public health will be brought to justice.”
Between 50 to 250 of the adulterated drugs were given to patients at the clinic, investigators found, but there was no evidence that her actions lead to any injuries or resulted in any conscious or reckless risks of death.
