Kelly Duda uncovers "Factor 8, The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal."

"Factor 8, The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal" exposes one of the most tragic pharmaceutical drug tragedies since Thalidomide - - the use of prisoners' plasma to make infusable medications. This film explores Arkansas' prison plasma program and its connection to HIV and hepatitis infected hemophiliacs. Hemophilia medication, known as "Factor 8," is derived from other peoples' plasma to raise hemophiliacs' levels of the Factor VIII blood protein needed to stop bleeding. Thousands of unwitting hemophiliac victims (including some children) were infected with HIV or hepatitis as a result of receiving HIV or hepatitis contaminated Factor 8 medication. Some of that medication was manufactured with plasma obtained from prisoner programs. As this film documents, a significant amount of Arkansas prison plasma was traced to the Canadian Red Cross, which was then processed into Factor 8 and distributed to unsuspecting Canadian hemophiliacs.

When filmmaker, Kelly Duda, uncovered this tragedy and what some consider to be a major crime being committed in his home state, he knew he had to document this scandal. This feature length film contains exclusive interviews and key documents, interviews with Canadian victims, state prison officials, former employees, high-ranking Arkansas politicians and inmate donors.