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Answer: Factor VIII – Infected with HIV
In the 1980s, Bayer, through its subsidiary Cutter Biological, was at the heart of a medical catastrophe involving its clotting product, Factor VIII. This drug was a godsend for hemophiliacs, a lifeline that allowed them to avoid the prolonged bleeding episodes that could otherwise turn minor injuries into life-threatening ordeals. But the very tool designed to save lives became the instrument of a devastating epidemic.
Factor VIII is a blood-clotting agent derived from human plasma, and that’s where the trouble started. Plasma donations, especially in the pre-HIV-awareness era, were often collected from high-risk populations—prisoners, intravenous drug users, and others who were at greater risk of carrying bloodborne diseases. Despite early warnings from the CDC about potential contamination risks, Bayer and other manufacturers did not implement immediate changes to screen for HIV or heat-treat their products to inactivate the virus. The result? Thousands of hemophiliacs worldwide were unknowingly injected with HIV-tainted medication.
The scandal becomes even darker when we look at how Bayer and Cutter responded. In the United States, the company eventually began distributing a safer, heat-treated version of Factor VIII. But instead of recalling the older, tainted version, Cutter redirected it to international markets, including countries in Asia and Latin America. Documents revealed years later showed internal discussions about the financial costs of halting sales versus the potential fallout from continued distribution. The calculus wasn’t made in terms of lives saved or lost—it was measured in profits and lawsuits avoided. The cold bureaucracy of commerce overtook the ethical imperatives of medicine.
By the time the full scope of the damage was understood, the numbers were staggering. Tens of thousands of hemophiliacs globally contracted HIV from contaminated Factor VIII. Many of them also developed AIDS in an era when effective treatments were still in their infancy. The devastation wasn’t limited to the physical; it shattered families, fueled stigma, and eroded trust in medical institutions. Even more damning, the episode highlighted systemic failures in regulation, oversight, and corporate accountability, leaving a scar not just on Bayer but on the entire pharmaceutical industry.
