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US Red Cross fined $ 4.2 million for safety violation
US government fines the American Red Cross a record $ 4.2 million for violating blood-safety laws.
The US government says it is fining the American Red Cross a record $ 4.2 million for violating blood-safety laws.
The violations include failing to reject donors who had travelled to malarial areas and allowing blood and related products to be distributed without proper testing, said Food and Drug Administration's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.
The FDA said it had no evidence of serious health consequences resulting from the violations.
The fine was the largest penalty ever assessed under terms of a 2003 court settlement that allows the large fines when the Red Cross violates FDA rules. Previously, the FDA had fined the Red Cross a total of $ 5.7 million
The Red Cross provides nearly half the country's blood supply, selling blood products to health facilities.
