The fungal meningitis outbreak first discovered in Tennessee has been traced to a specialized compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts.
The New England Compounding Center produced the injections that are linked to at least 26 cases of fungal meningitis in five states – Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Florida.
New England Compounding Center is one of approximately 3000 compounding pharmacies in the United States. These pharmacies blend, liquefy or combine medications and supply them to hospitals or hospital clinics.
The New England Compounding Center has recalled three lots of the steroid injections that have been linked to fungal meningitis. The affected lot numbers for the drug, methylprednisolone acetate, were Lot #05212012@68, BUD 11/17/2012; Lot #06292012@26, BUD 12/26/2012; and Lot #08102012@51, BUD 2/6/2013. The "BUD" stands for "Beyond Use Date." The quantity of the drug was 80 milligrams per milliliter.
There is no public indication to date about how many vials were sold per lot, how many were used, or how many have been returned subject to the recall.
Patients who were exposed to the product were given epidural steroid injections between July 1 and September 20. The infection has an incubation period of up to 28 days, so the full number of infected patients is not yet known. Four patients who had epidural steroid injections in the last few months have died from fungal meningitis.
The Centers for Disease control have not definitively stated that the steroid injections are the cause of the fungal infections, but evidence pointing to that conclusion is continuing to accumulate.
Anyone who has had an epidural injection during the relevant period and who experiences any symptom of meningitis is urged to contact his or her doctor immediately.
The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. is investigating fungal meningitis cases. Call John Day at 815.742.4880 or 866.812.8787 for a free consultation. You may also complete the Contact Form and we will call you.
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John Day and the other lawyers in his firm represent people who have been injured or lost a loved one due to the negligence of another person or company. John has been listed in Best Lawyers for 20 years, and has the highest legal rating a lawyer can earn by the legal rating services Martindale and AVVO.
An author of three books on personal injury and wrongful death law and over 50 articles for legal publications, John has given approximately 300 speeches to lawyers in over 15 states on personal injury, wrongful death, and related subjects. He represents people across Tennessee in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability and other civil cases. To read what John’s clients have said about him and his law firm, click here.