Opinion ID: 322648
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Post-indictment Publicity.

Text: 5 As soon as the indictment was returned, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina notified the news media that he had a press release concerning the indictment. The news department of a Raleigh television station requested an interview with him. The request was granted and the interview held at about 2:00 p.m. in his office. Two special prosecutors from the Justice Department and an attorney from FDA were also present. The interview was conducted in three stages by a television newswoman from the local station. There was first an off-camera interrogation of the government attorneys by the correspondent. Then there was a taped interview of the U.S. Attorney, at which he answered questions that had been submitted in advance. After the taping session, the correspondent continued to interrogate the attorneys for a time. 6 During the pretaping interrogation, the correspondent asked whether any deaths or illnesses were attributed to the misbranded drugs. One of the special prosecutors replied that 'the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta previously reported that nine deaths occurred in 1971.' During the subsequent taping session, the correspondent asked the same question of the U.S. Attorney. Not expecting this question to be asked, he replied that the indictment had nothing to do with any deaths. Following the taped interview, the correspondent continued to ask questions concerning deaths attributable to Abbott's intravenous solution. The answers, in substance, provided the same information as the answer quoted above. 7 On the six o'clock news that day, the Raleigh TV station broadcast a news report concerning the indictment, which contained the following statements: 8 Nine deaths and four hundred illnesses have been attributed to contaminated drugs made by a North Carolina company. 9 . . . . an 10 . . . the drugs were manufactured by the Abbott Laboratories Hospital Products Division of Rocky Mount. 11 The taped interview was also broadcast on this program, but the U.S. Attorney's statement that the indictment had nothing to do with any deaths was omitted. 12 On the same day, United Press International (UPI) ran a story citing sources in the Justice Department in Washington, containing the following statement: 13 A federal grand jury has returned criminal indictments against Abbott Laboratories, Inc. and five of its present or former employees on charges involving allegedly contaminated intravenous fluid linked to nine deaths and hundreds of injuries, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. 14 The circumstances make it clear that the remarks of those present at the interview in the U.S. Attorney's office in Raleigh were not the source of this news release. Nothing further is apparently known about the actual source of this release than that which appears on its face. This UPI release received the wide publication that could be expected in the case of a wire service of this type. 15 On May 29, 1973, some hours after the indictment was handed down, the FDA issued a press release in Washington, D.C., containing the following statements: 16 Five present or former officials of the company also were named in the indictment for interstate shipment of intravenous drugs that were unsterile and dangerous to public health. 17 . . . .t o 18 The Center for Disease Control, at Atlanta, Georgia, reported fifty deaths from four hundred and twelve patient episodes during late 1970 and early 1971 from septicemias (blood poisonings) which CDC determined to be associated with the use of contaminated Abbott intravenous solutions. 19 . . . .ott 20 These individuals held positions of responsibility with respect to the adulteration and misbranding for the intravenous drugs named in the indictment. 21 Both the UPI 'nine deaths' release and the FDA 'fifty deaths' release received wide coverage throughout the nation in the television, radio and printed media at the time of the indictment. The 'nine deaths' story arising out of the interview with the U.S. Attorney reached the viewers of WRAL-TV of Raleigh, North Carolina, who are spread throughout many of the counties of the Eastern District of North Carolina. 22