Theranos—Theranos deployed unvalidated blood testing devices in Walgreens stores, providing inaccurate results to patients
Theranos operated blood testing services in Walgreens stores in California and Arizona despite knowing its technology could not consistently produce accurate results for tests including calcium, potassium, HIV, and sodium. The company falsely advertised cheaper and faster blood tests. Walgreens terminated the partnership in June 2016 and sued for breach of contract. Patients received inaccurate medical test results that could have led to harmful treatment decisions.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Healthcare Access | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Research Integrity | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.787 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
DOJ charged Theranos with deploying unvalidated blood testing devices that provided inaccurate patient results
The DOJ Northern District of California charged that Theranos falsely advertised blood tests at Walgreens stores knowing the technology could not consistently produce accurate results for tests including calcium, potassium, HIV, and sodium. Walgreens terminated the partnership in June 2016.