Contraindications: Dr. Vinod Chandrashekm Patwardhan

William Heisel's Antidote: Investigating Untold Health Stories

Contraindications: Dr. Vinod Chandrashekm Patwardhan

May 15, 2009

Anyone who has helped a friend or family member undergo cancer treatment knows the fear and frustration that can consume a patient's life. There are new, experimental treatments being touted every year, many of them only available outside of the United States.

So when Dr. Vinod Chandrashekm Patwardhan (California License No. 29318) offered drugs made in India, Honduras, Panama and the Philippines to his cancer patients in the Southern Calif. communities of Chino and Upland, one might assume he was trying his damndest to give them the treatments they desperately needed.

Except they did not know these drugs were anything but FDA-approved drugs purchased in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Their insurance companies thought the same thing.

On May 8, Patwardhan, 66, was convicted by a jury in federal court in Riverside of conspiracy, two counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead, and three counts of smuggling. He faces up to 71 years in prison.

The justice department said the doctor and his employees started smuggling drugs as early as 2004. By the time of his arrest in August 2008, he had brought in more than $1.3 million worth of unapproved drugs.

Why?

Money, of course.

"As part of his scheme, Patwardhan charged the patients, their insurance companies and Medicare for the unapproved drugs at the same rate that he would charge for FDA-approved drugs, even though he had paid significantly less for the unapproved foreign drugs," the justice department wrote.

It all would have continued to work nicely, too, if his employees had decided to stick to the script. Instead, one of them dropped a dime on Parwardhan. Soon, the FDA was on the case, the Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It's not clear whether the feds let the Medical Board of California in on their party. Patwardhan had a few run-ins with the board in the 1980s and completed probation on an incompetence case in 1990. But, as of now, he is still licensed to practice medicine in California.

Cancer patients can be forgiven for trying everything within their means to beat the disease. But they deserve to know what they are being given and why.

Comments

Excerpt from recent decision

Posted by Roxana (not verified) | Wed, 2012-01-04

Excerpt from recent decision of Dept of Health and Human Services Adm Law Judge Carolyn Hughes on Dr's motivation(Petitioner here aka Vinod C Patwardhan): On page 5... Sentencing Judge Virginia A. Phillips characterized Petitioner’s history as “a lifetime of service to his profession and the provision of medical care without regard to his patient’s ability to pay for it.” P. Ex. 2 at 18, 33; accord P. Ex. 3 at 12. He treated patients “without much regard for reimbursement.” However, beginning in 1997, changes in reimbursement policies put his practice in financial difficulty. P. Ex. 2 at 16. When visiting family in India, Petitioner volunteered to treat patients, usually without charge. P. Ex. 2 at 20. Because the medications were so much cheaper there, he began purchasing them at an Indian pharmacy and taking them back to the United States, where he administered them to his patients, many of whom were indigent and could not afford to pay. P. Ex. 2 at 16; P. Ex. 3 at 10. These were the same drugs he used in treating patients in India. P. Ex. 2 at 16. Petitioner subsequently expanded that practice to other countries and involved some of his employees. Judge Phillips found it “impossible” to view his crime as one that was motivated by greed. P. Ex. 2 at 18. And on page 7... Petitioner is not typical of the convicted felons excluded from program participation. That he was motivated by misguided altruism is well-established by the record before me. Both the criminal trial judge and the state licensing judge agreed that he poses no risk to his patients and virtually no risk to program integrity. Dr. Pat is a wonderful, caring physician. Remember that you're talking about human beings in your investigative reporting Mr. Heisel and, as much as we'd like it to be, not everything is black and white...

the herceptin trial

Posted by chere farr (not verified) | Fri, 2012-07-13

i was on the herceptin trial 3rd arm at the city of hope 2001-2002 and began as trial subject before the the fda's stamp of approval. herceptin was approved sept 2002. we aimed for cure in this trial.
i am 11 year survivor of invasive infiltrating ductal carcinoma breast cancer stage 2b/3a Her2nu positive.. at that time, herceptin was touted as the biggest breakthru in breast cancer research history in 20 years.
i came home early and am blessed to have Dr. Vinrod Patwardhan as my oncologist and i need to say that he is a hero and the most caring and compassionate person i have the priviledge of knowing. i color outside the lines...you may say i am a dreamer...if you really don't believe this can be done, could you please, at least, stand out of the way of those of us... who are doing it?

Contraindications: Dr. Vinod Chandrashekm Patwardhan