Monday, March 5, 2012
'Dr. Feelgood' Charged With Murder in California
Transcript by http://www.newsy.com
BY KYLIE MCGIVERN
Prescription drug overdose deaths are on the rise. But, who's to blame? Doctors? Patients?
In a California case, attorneys and parents are pointing fingers at a Los Angeles County physician -- Dr. Lisa Tseng. KABC has more.
"The district attorney here likes to cite a study by the CDC, that says that more people die from drug prescription overdoses than from traffic accidents. He's now going after a woman he calls 'Dr. Feelgood.'"
The LA Times calls the murder charges 'rare'
"The charges represent a bold move sure to spur debate in the medical and legal communities and come as public health and law enforcement authorities are grappling with rising prescription drug deaths."
And ABC News points out such cases often involve involuntary manslaughter charges instead. One of the case's prosecutors told the network --
Lawyer: "This is the first case that we have filed against a doctor, charging murder for over-prescription of drugs."
And a parent says --
Parent: "She is a murderer, okay? She's killed a lot of kids and she's destroyed many, many families."
Tseng is charged with the murder of three otherwise healthy men in 20's, who came to the doctor with complaints of pain and anxiety before overdosing on prescription drugs. KNBC explains the case's origins.
"Attorney Larry Eisenberg filed five wrongful death lawsuits against Dr. Tseng, accusing her of doling out prescriptions for painkillers like Vicodin, Opana, and Xanex, which led to fatal overdoses."
In 2010, the DEA suspended Tseng's license to write prescriptions. But this isn't the first time she's been in the hot seat. The Daily Mail reports...
"She came under scrutiny by the California Medical Board and the US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2008 after a pharmacy reported problems with her prescriptions. Tseng wrote more than 27,000 prescriptions over a three-year period starting in January 2007 - an average of 25 a day, according to a DEA affidavit."
Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley says that Tseng's motive appears to have been greed, and ABC News reports she kept writing prescriptions even after finding out some of her patients had died. StopOxy, an educational website for the dangers of drugs and medications, writes...
"While patients die, these doctors seem to think they have found a quick and easy way to get rich. Tseng has refused to take responsibility for her actions, stating that it's not her fault if patients didn't follow dosage instructions for the drugs she prescribed."
The Huffington Post says this is what the conflict comes down to --blame -- and where to place it.
"The case highlights a murky region of medicine as patients hooked on prescription drugs seek out a source for their addiction... the murder charges could be hard to prove because the victims played a role by seeking out and taking the drugs."
Tseng is being held on $3 million bail, and is scheduled for arraignment Thursday. If convicted, she faces a possible maximum state prison term of 45 years to life.
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