Contaminated Fentanyl: Two Former Officials of Anmat Testify Before the Federal Court in La Plata

The two former officials of the National Administration of Medicines, Foods and Medical Technology (Anmat) who were detained provided their interrogation statements this Wednesday at the federal court in La Plata, which is investigating the hundreds of deaths associated with the use of contaminated fentanyl vials in health centers across the country.

These are Nélida Agustina Bisio, who led Anmat until January of this year, and Gabriela Mantecón Fumadó, former director of the National Institute of Medicines (Iname). Both were transferred from a detention center in the City of Buenos Aires to the La Plata courts, where they remained incommunicado until the hearings began.

Judicial sources confirmed that, after completing their statements, both remain detained. In Bisio's case, the judge granted her release on bail of $75 million, while Mantecón Fumadó also requested this benefit, although the request had not yet been resolved.

The investigation, led by federal judge Ernesto Kreplak, seeks to determine the administrative and criminal responsibilities for the hundreds of deaths due to the use of contaminated fentanyl vials.

The Interrogation Statement of the Former Officials

The first to testify was Bisio. The hearing lasted nearly two hours, and according to her defense, the former official requested to suspend the interrogation for health reasons and will continue her statement in writing at a future hearing.

Then it was Mantecón Fumadó's turn, who referred to a previously submitted document and answered questions for several hours. In her statement, she reiterated that the decisions related to the functioning of Anmat were known by her superiors and mentioned, in addition to Bisio, the current Minister of Health, Mario Lugones.

It was reported that the former director of Iname stated that Lugones already had influence in Anmat's affairs before formally taking over the Ministry of Health, when he was serving as an advisor at the Casa Rosada. In this context, by court order, a police commission seized the records of entries and exits corresponding to 2024 and 2025 at the headquarters of that ministry.

Mantecón Fumadó had previously testified in May of last year, when she explained to the same court how HLB Pharma continued producing medications alongside Laboratorios Ramallo despite the observations made by the regulatory body.

On that occasion, she stated that HLB Pharma had a "history of record-keeping and documentation irregularities," which is why it was under special monitoring. However, in August of last year, she was removed by the Ministry of Health, which held her responsible for not acting on an internal report that warned about the detected irregularities.

The Prosecutor's Accusation

The detentions were requested by federal prosecutor María Laura Roteta and the head of the Administrative Investigations Prosecutor's Office (PIA), Sergio Rodríguez, who argue that there are elements to consider that both former officials were aware of the serious irregularities detected in the production of fentanyl.

In the ruling, the prosecutors stated that the accused were aware of the "elevated risk scenario" generated by the production conditions at HLB Pharma and Laboratorios Ramallo, and that this context could lead to deaths and injuries. Both laboratories belong to businessman Ariel García Furfaro, who is also detained in the case.

The investigation, led by federal judge Ernesto Kreplak, seeks to determine the administrative and criminal responsibilities for one of the largest health scandals recorded in recent years in the country.

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