Federal prosecutors have charged Dr. Sanja Ilic, former chief regulatory officer of ExThera Medical, with concealing the deaths of two cancer patients treated with the company's blood filter. Ilic agreed to plead guilty and faces up to three years in prison, while ExThera admitted to defrauding the FDA by failing to report the fatalities.

David Hudlow of Florida and Kyle Chupp of Ontario died in April 2024 after receiving treatments at an Antigua clinic. ExThera had lured approximately two dozen late-stage cancer patients to the Caribbean with promises that its blood filter, conditionally approved only for COVID-19, could cure their disease. Patients paid $45,000 per treatment session.

The scandal centers on American billionaire Alan Quasha, whose firm Quadrant Management invested in ExThera and created a Caribbean distributor. The company agreed to pay a $750,000 criminal penalty earmarked for victims' families and forfeit $5.7 million. ExThera, which once employed about 50 people, is now seeking new investments while preparing for potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy.