BloggerMag V2

A Colorado woman who is six weeks pregnant says a pharmacist at a grocery store mistakenly gave her an abortion drug instead of an antibiotic and now she fears she will lose her unborn child.

Mareena Silva tells Denver's KMGH-TV that the pharmacist at the Safeway in Fort Lupton gave her methotrexate last week. The drug, intended for another woman, is used in chemotherapy and to terminate early-stage pregnancies.

Silva says she took a pill and checked the bottle after becoming sick. She was rushed to the hospital.

Doctors say Silva could miscarry or have a baby with birth defects.

A woman at Silva's apartment Tuesday said she's not talking to the media. Safeway says it has apologized to Silva and will pay medical expenses resulting from the mistake.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Safeway director of public affairs Kristine J. Staaf says, "We are redoubling our efforts to ensure that all our pharmacists follow the strict policies and procedures we have in place to prevent medication errors.

"All pharmacy personnel are instructed to ask and listen to the patient’s full name and date of birth before retrieving a medication from the “will call” area," the statement continues. "They are then instructed to repeat that information to the patient before the transaction is completed and any medication is given. Had that procedure been followed, this regrettable error could have been avoided."