Indictment says Lyme disease treatment a fraud

[Guest guest]

Not a real doctor anybody taken?

Mike

Indictment says Lyme disease treatment a fraud

Former Topeka physician among those charged

The Capital-Journal

December 5, 2008

http://cjonline.com/stories/120508/bre_lyme.shtml

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Topeka physician who had lost his license and

two California residents are charged with creating a fraudulent

marketing scheme to sell medical equipment and drug treatments for a

nonexistent epidemic of Lyme disease, acting U.S. Attorney Marietta

announced today.

A 25-count federal indictment charges the conspirators with violating

the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by conspiring to sell a

microscope that supposedly would diagnose Lyme disease and drugs that

supposedly would cure the disease.

Among those charged is former Topeka physician R. Toth, 59, who

currently is in custody at Ellsworth Correctional Facility. He faces

charges of conspiracy to violate the Food and Drug Act, mail fraud,

introducing unapproved drugs, introducing and distributing a

misbranded drug, and introducing a misbranded medical device.

In March 2008 in ee County District Court, Toth was sentenced to

32 months after pleading no contest to a state charge of reckless

involuntary manslaughter in the death of a patient, Beverly A.

Wunder. As part of the plea agreement, he surrendered his medical

license.

Also charged in the Lyme disease case are W. Bradford, 77, and

Brigitte G. Byrd, 63, both of Chula Vista, Calif., and C.R.B. Inc.,

also of Chula Vista, doing business as American Biologics.

The indictment alleges that Bradford, founder of C.R.B., Inc.,

claimed to be a " doctor " and a " professor, " although he wasn't a

physician and had no science degree from an accredited university. He

was the inventor of the " Bradford Variable Projection Microscope, "

which he claimed could be used to identify Lyme disease.

Byrd was executive vice president of C.R.B., Inc.

During the conspiracy, the indictment said, Toth was licensed as a

medical doctor in Kansas, was the director of The Luke Center for

Integrative Health, Inc., in Topeka and he established the

Alternative Therapies Health Association.

Bradford, Byrd and C.R.B. executed a marketing plan aimed at creating

demand for Bradford's microscope and certain drugs they sold for the

treatment of Lyme disease.

In fact, there was no epidemic of Lyme disease, the microscope

couldn't diagnose Lyme disease and the drugs the defendants were

selling couldn't cure Lyme disease.

According to the indictment, Bradford, Byrd and C.R.B., Inc., made

more than $400,000 from the fraudulent scheme between April 2004 and

August 2006.

In Topeka, Toth used Bradford's microscope and his treatments and

charged patients approximately $100 for each use of the microscope

and approximately $320 for a series of injections he

called " antimicrobial treatment. "

[Guest guest]

Bismuth citrate is often used to treat gastrointestinal disorders.

And, it's rarely used in an IV form. Roth was giving the IV's

(probably a 5 minute IV-push / injection) as " antimicrobial treatment. "

I was reading that Roth, M.D., is a real doctor, but, that his

license was revoked. Dr. Roth had a patient who went into cardiac

arrest following a bismuth citrate IV treatment.

http://www.ksbha.org/boardactions/Documents/toth2.pdf

The microscope testing increases patient costs. I doubt that insurance

would cover any of these treatments. So, Roth was probably treating

chronically ill patients who have failed to get anywhere with

mainstream medicine.

Sound familiar!?

--penumbra

>

> Not a real doctor anybody taken?

> Mike