Fraudulent botulism treatment was killer dose: study

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A botulinum preparation a Florida doctor injected in himself and three others for cosmetic purposes two years ago was up to 40 times more lethal than what it takes to kill a person, according to a report published on Tuesday.

All four people survived life-threatening illnesses after the injections and the doctor involved was sentenced in January to three years in jail for using an unapproved drug.

Weakened preparations using botulinum bacteria have become popular for smoothing facial wrinkles. Two are licensed in the United States, BOTOX and Myobloc/Neurobloc.

In a report published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, investigators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they found that all four had been injected with a highly concentrated, unlicensed preparation of botulinum toxin A, intended for laboratory research and labeled that way.

Staff at the clinic where the incident occurred had deliberately diluted the pure nerve toxin, it said. Before they were treated, three of the four victims had blood levels of the toxin that were equivalent to 21 to 43 times the estimated human lethal dose, the report said.

"Physicians and patients must be aware of the hazards associated with illegitimate use of unlicensed botulinum toxin products. Only licensed products should be used clinically," the report said.

"Entities inappropriately marketing, selling, or using unlicensed botulinum toxin products should be sought and subjected to full criminal and civil penalties," it added.