Two U.S. companies teamed up to treat cancer patients using an unproven blood filter in Antigua, out of reach of American regulators.The New York Times reports that in April, a private jet departed from the Caribbean island of Antigua with three highly flammable tanks of compressed oxygen and a terminally ill cancer patient on board. The patient, David Hudlow, was accompanied by his wife, Kim, who anxiously monitored his oxygen levels during the five-hour flight to Florida. Just days before, the couple had arrived on the island with hopes that a new blood-filtering treatment offered by a start-up called ExThera Medical would save David’s life.
ExThera Medical, in partnership with billionaire Alan Quasha, claimed to have a device that could remove tumor cells from patients’ blood and prevent cancer from spreading. Mr. Quasha’s private equity firm, Quadrant Management, purchased thousands of these devices and began using them on late-stage cancer patients at a clinic in Antigua. The treatment cost $45,000 per course and patients were advised to return for regular sessions, while abstaining from chemotherapy in between.
However, the treatment did not have the desired results for David Hudlow and the other patients who were lured to Antigua by the promises of a cure. The New York Times is currently unable to retrieve the full article, but it is clear that the treatment did not live up to its claims and patients were left disappointed and out of pocket.
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