The parents of a 3-year-old who died from a chemical overdose at Shands at UF about a year ago were given a chance to present their case to the Florida Board of Pharmacy on Tuesday.
Horst and Luisa Ferrero gave a 30-minute presentation at the Hilton UF Conference Center explaining their version of the events that led to the death of their son Sebastian.
The board had already ruled on the case in August and fined Edna Irizarry, the pharmacist who filled the prescription, $1,000. The board ordered her to pay $2,460 in investigation costs and take an eight-hour educational course on avoiding misfilled prescriptions.
The Ferreros were unable to attend that ruling because Luisa had recently given birth to her third son. They requested the hearing be postponed, but the board decided to proceed.
During the presentation, Horst Ferrero explained that Sebastian was prescribed 5.75 grams of arginine, an amino acid used to test for growth hormone deficiencies. He was injected with 60 grams - about 10 times more than necessary.
He said he was disappointed the board couldn't wait to hear the case and felt the penalty levied was inadequate.
"It's heartbreaking to know that the death of our son was worth only $1,000," he said.
Jim Powers, a member of the board, said in an interview after the presentation that Irizarry had a right to have her case heard in a timely manner.
Powers said it was important for the board to hear the family's account but that he believes the board's August decision was fair.
He said although the Ferreros mentioned the board could have revoked the pharmacist's license, he didn't feel that would have been justified. There was no evidence the pharmacist acted with the intent of harming the patient, Powers said.
It was a case of human error, he said.
"You can't interview a pharmacist who can say he hasn't made an error," he said.
