Kirchnerism blocked in the Chamber of Deputies a committee to investigate contaminated fentanyl

In the August 7 session, the Kirchnerist bloc and part of Peronism prevented the formation of a parliamentary committee intended to investigate the contaminated clinical fentanyl case that has already resulted in at least 76 deaths.

The proposal, promoted by PRO deputy Silvana Giudici, sought to clarify both the immediate causes of the tragedy and the political and business connections that enabled the circulation of the adulterated medication in public and private hospitals.

The withdrawal of the quorum occurred when Giudici requested a vote to enable the committee. "Let it be clear, then, that the Kirchnerist bloc doesn't care about addressing the fentanyl issue," stated the legislator, referring to the ruling party's refusal to support the project.

The president of the Chamber, Martín Menem, confirmed that "there is no quorum at this time," with only 56 deputies present and 201 absent.

At the center of the controversy is Ariel García Furfaro, head of HLB Pharma Group SA and Laboratorios Ramallo SA, companies that, until May 11, 2025, produced medications and medical supplies through multimillion-dollar contracts with municipalities in Greater Buenos Aires and union-run health insurance providers.

On that day, the National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) suspended their activity after detecting that a batch of fentanyl citrate manufactured by these firms was contaminated with Klebsiella pneumoniae and Ralstonia pickettii bacteria.

The case originated on April 15, when Hospital Italiano de La Plata detected patients infected with the adulterated medication. Of 18 confirmed cases, 15 resulted in death. On May 2, ANMAT banned the batch identified as "FENTANILO HLB / CITRATO DE FENTANILO, batch 31202", and days later the measure was extended to the entire production of the laboratories involved.

In addition to the contamination, the judicial investigation, led by federal judge of La PlataErnesto Kreplak, is investigating other irregular acts linked to HLB Pharma, such as the incineration of five kilograms (11 pounds) of expired fentanyl on April 13—the same day the case was initiated—and allegations of tax evasion, illegal importation of machinery from China, and document forgery.

The Ministry of Security, led by Patricia Bullrich, also indicated that the municipal authorization to operate with chemical precursors was false.

García Furfaro, now under judicial scrutiny, was part of an official delegation to Moscow in 2021 organized by the Ministry of Health of Alberto Fernández's government to negotiate the distribution of the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, a background that reinforces suspicions of political ties that could have benefited his companies.

The special committee that was attempted to be created would have the authority to request reports from public and private organizations, summon officials, and prepare a final report with legislative recommendations to strengthen controls over medications used in hospitals.

However, the Kirchnerist bloc and part of Peronism decided not to support the proposal, preventing the progress of an independent parliamentary investigation into a health tragedy that has already left dozens of victims.