Jackson death: Unlabeled drug vials, cops hunt doctors

July 6, 8:57 AMSF Health News ExaminerJefferson Adams

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Agents hunting the source of deadly drugs suspected in the death
of singer Michael Jackson are looking at a handful of doctors who
wrote prescriptions for the pop star, according to law enforcement
sources. AP Photo/Doug Pizac

Agents hunting the source of deadly drugs suspected in the death of singer Michael Jackson are looking at a handful of doctors who wrote prescriptions for the pop star, according to law enforcement sources.

Officials seized drugs and other medical evidence from the rented Holmby Hills mansion where Jackson collapsed and later died. They are now
trying to figure out which medications, if any, were properly prescribed, and whether they played any part in his death.

Some of the prescriptions were made out to names other than Jackson, and thought to be pseudonyms, while others, including several vials of Diprivan, had no prescription labels on them at all, the sources told The Times.

In fact, the discovery of what one source describes as "numerous" vials of the powerful sedative Diprivan at the home has turned to focus of the investigation to the doctors who treated Jackson. Diprivan is the brand name for the surgical sedative Propofol. The source, speaking off the record due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation, said some of the vials were full and some were empty. None of the vials had their proper prescription labels, and investigators are trying to determine how Jackson got the drugs.

Diprivan abuse is a small, but growing issue, said University of Colorado anesthesiologist, Paul Wischmeyer, particularly among those with easy access to the drug. Wischmeyer co-authored a 2007 study on Diprivan abuse for the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia. In the study, an e-mail survey of 126 academic anesthesiology training programs nationwide showed that nearly 1 in 5 (18%) of departments reported one or more incidents of Diprivan abuse in the previous 10 years.

Most alarming, of the 25 people who abused propofol, seven died as a result, including six who were medical residents, according to the journal study. Think about that. Nearly one third of people who abused Propofol died; and these were medical residents, with at least some medical training and, at least in theory, some understanding of the dangers involved.