Injury for the pharmacist who prescribes calorie-burning drugs to lose weight

A conviction fornegligent wounding was handed down to the pharmacist who improvised himself as a dietician and prescribed drugs to lose weight that were generally used for other purposes. The Court of Cassation, thus confirming the crime for the professional who had promised a client a flashy and fast weight loss, while continuing to eat at will. The 'miraculous' prescription consisted of the massive intake of medicines intended for the treatment of pathologies, so-called off-label, which contained active ingredients such as ephedrine, a substance usually used for asthma, which has the effect of increasing cellular metabolism.

In addition to diuretics and vitamins, the composition of the pills also included naxeltrone, an opiate antagonist that reduces the activity of the brain centres that control the sensation of pleasure linked to food, but at the risk of damaging the liver, and bumetadite, which interacts with the nerve centres. The result of the diet had been, with an escalation, the total loss of hair, replaced by a wig, and a progressive paralysis affecting first the limbs then the head. The woman - who, by the way, had no particular need to lose weight, being 1.72 metres tall and weighing 60 kilos - had emerged, not in perfect health, after more than two weeks in hospital. The 'cure' had been administered, in massive doses: 4 tablets a day before the main meals, without any evaluation of the cost-benefit, considering that prescribed medicines should only be taken in cases of illness and strict necessity.

A detail that the pharmacist - also known to practise, in fact, as a dietician - had 'escaped', since his invitation had been not to stop the treatment, despite the fact that the lady, by then severely dehydrated, had completely lost her appetite and had clear complaints that pointed to a serious health risk. For the Supreme Court, the administration of the pills had been reckless, without analyses and medical examinations, and made with off-label drugs by a professional who, not being a doctor, could not make prescriptions. A box of tablets created by the defendant cost EUR 250. For him, who had also violated the Di Bella law and the Code of Ethics, there is the conviction for the crime of culpable injury and to pay damages to the 'patient'.