Product News and Recalls

Attorney general wants criminal investigation into pharmacy

Michigan’s attorney general is calling for a criminal investigation into the New England Compounding Center – a Massachusetts-based specialty pharmacy blamed for a deadly meningitis outbreak that has killed 51 people and sickened 730 in 20 states.

A CNN report quotes Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette as saying: “Hundreds of Michigan citizens and their families have endured terrible pain and deaths of loved ones suffering from illnesses caused by these tainted steroid injections. This investigation is necessary to uncover the truth as to how this unspeakable tragedy happened and to restore public faith in our healthcare system.”

NECC produced a batch of steroid medication tainted with a fungal contaminant. Subsequent inspections found unsanitary conditions at the pharmacy.

Meningitis is a potentially deadly inflammation of the tissue lining the brain and the spinal cord.

Compounding pharmacies, which prepare specialty medications for individual patients, aren’t subject to the same regulations as other drug manufacturers. Since the outbreak was reported late last year, public health watchdogs have accused some compounding pharmacies of using that loophole to cheaply manufacture medications on a large scale.

Several other compounding pharmacies have recalled their products in recent weeks.

Schuette said he filed a petition to his state’s Court of Appeals to have a grand jury determine if the NECC broke any laws when it distributed the medication in Michigan.

Lopez McHugh is investigating cases related to the fungal meningitis outbreak. If you or a loved one had an injection and were diagnosed with meningitis, you should consult with a Lopez McHugh lawyer for a free consultation.

See the story here:

https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/27/health/meningitis-investigation/index.html