According to a report on Michigan Live, the Michigan Court of Appeals is allowing state Attorney General Bill Schuette to empanel a multi-district grand jury, tasked with investigating the specialty pharmacy responsible for a nationwide meningitis outbreak.
In filing his request last month, Schuette argued that a grand jury would be able compel testimony in order to determine whether the Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center broke any Michigan laws when it distributed allegedly tainted steroid medication in the latter state.
Meningitis is a potentially deadly inflammation of the tissue surrounding the spinal cord and brain. The outbreak linked with NECC, allegedly caused by a fungal contamination, is being blamed in 733 illnesses and 53 deaths spanning 20 states.
According to the story, Michigan has been one of the hardest-hit states, with 259 infections linked to the steroid injections, including 16 deaths.
And there may be more to come. The CDC estimates that as many as 14,000 people in 23 states may have received the steroid shots, which are typically used to treat back and neck pain.
Inspectors found unsanitary conditions at the NECC, which has since shut down.
The report quotes the Michigan Department of Community Health director as saying: “The treatment is very painful. Sometimes they have to open up the spine and clean it off, the fungus, and it’s very tough. To do a grand jury to raise some of these questions about why and how this came to happen is a legitimate thing to do.”
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.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/schuette_grand_jury_to_investi.html
