Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Blood Horse: Horse Owners File Lawsuits Against Wickliffe

Owners of three Thoroughbreds hospitalized after receiving a compounded drug from Wickliffe Veterinary Pharmacy allege the Lexington compounder not only was negligent in product preparation but also failed to halt distribution after it knew at least one horse death in Kentucky had been linked to the compound.
Thoroughbred owners Galen Ho LLC and Robert Harvey and Al Wortzman filed lawsuits seeking at least $250,000 in damages June 9 in U.S. District Court in Ocala, Fla., alleging their horses at an Ocala training center were hospitalized after receiving a compounded drug to treat or prevent equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.
On June 11, a Wickliffe Veterinary Pharmacy representative said the company had just received notice of the litigation and is reviewing the complaints. The company said it will comment further after additional review of the lawsuits.
One of the Thoroughbreds allegedly harmed is Harvey and Wortzman's Hollinger, Canada's 2009 champion 2-year-old colt. The owners say Hollinger, who has won two stakes races and earned more than $700,000, will not be able to compete in 2014 and may have to be retired.
The lawsuit alleges a Wickliffe compound of toltrazuril and pyrimethamine had more than 13 times the amount of pyrimethamine than was supposed to be in the product, as listed on the label. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reported a similar finding in the Wickliffe product in question, noting that adverse events associated with high doses of pyrimethamine include seizure, fever, and death.
The complaint said eight Thoroughbreds suffered severe distress May 5, beginning about 90 minutes after receiving the compound. Two of the affected Thoroughbreds died and the other six were hospitalized at the University of Florida Large Animal Hospital for care and treatment after suffering seizures, elevated temperatures, and convulsions. Several continued to suffer seizures and weakness in all four limbs and all of the surviving horses saw radical decreases in white blood cells, which required large doses of folic acid.
The horses involved in the litigation filed against Wickliffe as well as Jacqueline Kemezy Bernard, identified as Wickliffe president; Kelly Zaccarelli, identified as company pharmacist; and William Bernard, identified as Wickliffe's chief veterinarian; survived the ordeal but their owners are not sure if the horses will be able to return to racing.
Harvey and Wortzman are seeking more than $250,000 for costs of vet fees and veterinary treatment following Hollinger's ordeal, as well as money for vanning costs, decreased value of Hollinger, and loss of immediate earning potential.
Galen Ho outlines similar damages in seeking more than $250,000 following the hospitalization of its placed 3-year-old colt Empire Road and its unraced 2-year-old colt out of Finish With Class.


Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/85630/horse-owners-file-lawsuits-against-wickliffe#ixzz34Nt1VAep

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