BBC News Online: World: Americas

Cancer fears after pharmacist's arrest

The drugs Taxol and Gemzar are allegedly affected

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

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.