ExThera, a medical startup, operated a clinic in Antigua that promised miracle cures for cancer, charging desperate patients $45,000 per treatment. A whistleblower exposed appalling conditions and a lack of medical expertise. Six patients died, likely from complications related to treatment. The clinic's claims of efficacy were not scientifically supported, and patients were pressured to continue treatment despite worsening conditions.
A controversial medical clinic operating on the Caribbean island of Antigua attracted desperate, terminally ill cancer patients with promises of miracle cures, charging them $45,000 per round of treatment. Six patients died, likely due to complications arising from their stay at the clinic, which was operating outside the purview of US regulators.
Family members and medical professionals who visited the clinic reported shocking conditions, including patients being treated without adequate anesthesia, and a severe lack of basic hygiene. The clinic, operated by a company called ExThera, promoted a device that it claimed could filter circulating tumor cells (CTCs), responsible for cancer metastasis. Initial studies in Croatia provided promising, albeit preliminary, results. However, the clinic's practices were far from ethical. A whistleblower, Chow, discovered patients bleeding profusely, being instructed to forgo chemotherapy, and being treated by a non-oncologist. Chow raised concerns with ExThera's leadership but resigned after they ignored his warnings.One patient, Kim Hudlow, whose husband David received treatment at the Antigua clinic, was disillusioned by the entire ordeal. Her husband's condition worsened despite undergoing treatment, and the clinic's claims about the device's efficacy were not supported by scientific evidence. ExThera's chief regulatory officer, Sanja Ilic, downplayed David's pain and insisted on the treatment's effectiveness, even as his cancer progressed aggressively. David eventually died after being rushed to a US hospital, where doctors confirmed his cancer had spread beyond saving. Another patient, Ashley Sullivan, contacted Ilic after developing new tumors following treatment, only to be dismissed by Ilic, who claimed the device had successfully eliminated all CTCs.
Cancer Clinic Antigua Exthera Circulating Tumor Cells Experimental Treatment Death Whistleblower
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