Notorious Mexican drug lord and escape artist Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is having psychological problems that could hinder his ability to fight U.S. drug-trafficking charges, his lawyer and wife said Tuesday.
"We have noticed that his mental state has deteriorated, not just his memory but ... the way he understands things," attorney Eduardo Balarezo told reporters following a pretrial hearing in federal court in Brooklyn. "He's not the man he was when I first met him."
In this courtroom drawing, notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, second from right, looks in the direction of his wife (not pictured) in the audience as his defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo, left, speaks in federal court where he said his client's mental health is deteriorating, Tuesday, April 17, 2018, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Appearing alongside the lawyer, Emma Coronel said she hasn't been allowed to communicate with her husband since he was turned over to U.S. authorities in 2017.
"My worry is his health because I know that he is in bad shape psychologically," Coronel said. "He feels bad from what lawyers are telling me. It worries me how is he going to start the trial if he's not in good health."
Guzman, who smiled and waved at his wife as he was led into court on Tuesday, has repeatedly complained about conditions at a Manhattan jail where he's being held in solitary confinement. U.S. authorities have authorized only very limited visits with his young daughters and sister.
In this courtroom drawing, Emma Coronel Aispuro, center right, wearing an off-the-shoulder dress, sits next to an unidentified companion in the courtroom audience where Aispuro's husband, notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was present for a hearing in federal court Tuesday, April 17, 2018, in New York.(Elizabeth Williams via AP)
U.S. prosecutors say the harsh conditions are needed because Guzman has a history in Mexico of using his connections to run his drug empire from behind bars. They also note Guzman twice escaped from prison, the second time via a mile-long (1.6 kilometer-long) tunnel dug to the shower in his cell.
In a letter to the court earlier this year, Guzman claimed that the light in his cell where he spends 23 hours a day is on at all hours. The cell has poor circulation and is kept at a temperature that's either "too hot" or "too cold," he added.
FILE - This Feb. 22, 2014 file photo shows Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, being escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City following his capture overnight in the beach resort town of Mazatlan. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)
As a result, Guzman said he's had trouble sleeping, suffers constant headaches and vomits daily.
"I cannot focus to study the evidence in my case," he wrote. "It is torture 24 hours a day."
U.S. authorities have assured a judge they've taken steps to address the concerns.
Guzman has pleaded not guilty to charges that his Sinaloa cartel laundered billions of dollars and oversaw a ruthless campaign of murders and kidnappings. He faces life in prison if convicted at trial, which is set to begin in September.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The maker of a drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease that recently failed in a large study said Thursday it will pull the medicine from the market, acknowledging it didn't help patients with the deadly neurological condition.
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced it will voluntarily halt sales and marketing of the drug in the U.S. and Canada, where new patients will no longer be able to get a prescription.
“While this is a difficult moment for the ALS community, we reached this path forward in partnership with the stakeholders who will be impacted and in line with our steadfast commitment to people living with ALS," company co-founders said in a statement. Patients already taking the therapy who wish to continue will be able to enroll in a program to receive it for free.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the much-debated drug, Relyvrio, in September 2022, following a years-long advocacy campaign by patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
The drug's failure is a bitter disappointment for patients and advocates, who have pressed the FDA and other federal agencies to fund and approve more experimental therapies for the fatal muscle-wasting disease.
Relyvrio's withdrawal leaves just three ALS medicines available to U.S. patients, only one of which has been shown to extend survival by several months.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Amylyx also said Thursday it will lay off 70% of its more than 350 employees as part of a major restructuring effort. Company executives said they plan to continue studying Relyvrio and another experimental drug for several rare diseases, including Wolfram syndrome, which causes childhood diabetes and blindness.
Company shares climbed more than 7.5% in trading Thursday morning.
Amylyx said last month it was considering pulling its drug after a clinical trial in 600 patients failed to show any improvements in survival or other health measures, such as muscle strength or walking ability.
The company's voluntary action resolves what could have been a major dilemma for the FDA. The agency's regulators would not have had a clear path to quickly force the drug from the market if the company had refused to remove it. That's because the FDA granted the drug full approval, despite the preliminary nature of the company's data on effectiveness.
The 2022 approval was mainly based on results from one small, mid-stage study that was criticized by some of the agency’s own internal scientists. Normally the agency requires two large, late-stage studies that show a clear benefit before granting approval. But at the time FDA officials explained that “regulatory flexibility” was appropriate when reviewing Relyvrio, “given the serious and life-threatening nature of ALS and the substantial unmet need.”
The medication is part of a string of drugs for deadly, degenerative diseases that have won FDA approval in recent years despite questionable evidence they work.
ALS gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients die within three to five years of a diagnosis.
Relyvrio is a powder that combines two older drugs: a prescription medication for liver disorders and a dietary supplement associated with traditional Chinese medicine.
Amylyx faced criticism for pricing the drug at $158,000 for a year’s supply. Sales were disappointing, with some patients discontinuing the medicine after only a few months.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - This image provided by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals shows the drug Relyvrio. The maker of a drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease that recently failed in a large study said Thursday, April 4, 2024 it will pull the medicine from the U.S. market, acknowledging it didn't help patients with the deadly neurological condition. (Amylyx Pharmaceuticals via AP)
