Cancer fears after pharmacist's arrest

The drugs Taxol and Gemzar are allegedly affected

Hundreds of American cancer patients are demanding information from investigators following the arrest of a Missouri pharmacist charged with intentionally diluting vital chemotherapy drugs.

Robert Courtney is accused of tampering with two potentially life-saving drugs so that he could pocket up to $800 per prescription.

Drugs facts

Taxol is used mainly to treat breast and ovarian cancer

It is made using extracts from a yew tree

Gemzar is used to treat lung cancer

It prevents part of the cancer cell reproducing itself

Federal officials say at least 30 patients attending a Kansas City private hospital between November 2000 and May of this year may have been treated with drugs which had been diluted by as much as 99%.

Prosecutors said Mr Courtney had admitted to diluting the drugs "out of greed".

Mr Courtney's lawyer has said he will plead innocent.

A court hearing is scheduled for Monday when a judge will rule whether the pharmacist should continue to be held or released on bail.

Hotline

The drugs were distributed directly to doctors by Mr Courtney's pharmacy in Kansas City. The authorities say prescriptions handled by other pharmacies should not be affected.

A telephone hotline set up for people who think they might be affected had logged more than 500 calls by Thursday night.

An FBI spokeswoman said it was not known if anybody receiving treatment had died prematurely.

But the FBI has said homicide or manslaughter charges could be filed if investigators find evidence a patient died from cancer that may have been treatable if the drugs had been the proper strength.

The two drugs, Gemzar and Taxol, are used for treatment for ovarian and breast cancer, Aids-related Kaposi's sarcoma, pancreatic cancer and some forms of lung cancer.

Mr Courtney is being held without bail and faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of dispensing diluted drugs.