The scope of a deadly outbreak linked to a Massachusetts pharmacy may be wider than initially thought, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports. And now some patients who received medications from that pharmacy suspect health officials may be undercounting the number of infections they’ve caused.
The New England Compounding Center produced the medication blamed for the outbreak, methylprednisolone acetate, which is a steroid injected into the spine to treat back and joint pain. It proved to be contaminated with a fungus that brought on the meningitis cases, which have so far killed 34 people and sickened 490 since it was first reported in September.
According to an article in the Wilmington, Del., News Journal, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have since reported a surge in other types of illness related to the suspect lots of medication — including epidural abscesses and bone infections.
The report includes interviews with patients who received drugs produced at NECC and are suffering health problems that could be linked to contaminated medication, but have not been listed among the outbreak’s victims. They don’t fit the established profile of outbreak patients, either because their symptoms are different or because they received different medication.
Lopez McHugh is investigating cases related to this 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.
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