Servier laboratories, which manufactured the Mediator, this drug responsible for the death of around 2,000 people in France, and the disability of thousands of others due to its toxicity on the heart and lungs, are judged on appeal . And this Monday, the Court began to hear the victims.
At 68, Francisca Guardiola is part of these victims of the pick called to testify at the bar, she has serious consequences.
The difficult approach, her husband by her side, Francisca Guardiola wishes to remain standing to deliver her testimony. ” I am strong, she says. I try not to show my family that I suffer, because they suffered a lot for me “. His story with the Mediator begins in 1995; his doctor prescribes the drug because he is overweight and at risk of diabetes. She took it for three years.
heart transplant
In 2005, breathing difficulties appeared; then worsened, over the years, to the point that she had to have heart surgery for the first time to replace her valves, at the age of 55. Three years later, she underwent a new operation with a heart transplant. She spends several weeks in a coma and her life is turned upside down. ” I have trouble sleeping, walking, I’m out of breath, I feel suffocated “, she says.
She, who was a home helper, needs the help of a nurse every day for everyday activities. Francisca Guardiola confides to being anxious, and having the impression of not being able to escape the Mediator. The heart she received turned out to be that of someone who also took Mediator and it in turn shows signs of weakness.
►Also read: Mediator trial: Irène Frachon, the doctor who revealed the scandal, calls for “justice”