INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office filed a licensing complaint today against the Massachusetts-based pharmacy linked to the meningitis outbreak.
In November, the Indiana Board of Pharmacy voted to indefinitely suspend NECC’s non-resident pharmacy license. Zoeller said the board will consider the formal complaint at its next meeting on Feb. 11.
“This pharmacy failed to ensure its epidural steroid injections were safe for patients which led to devastating harm,†Zoeller said. “This formal licensing complaint against the New England Compounding Center will soon be considered by the Indiana Board of Pharmacy which has the authority to determine the appropriate discipline.â€
As of Dec. 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) identified six deaths and 63 total cases of fungal meningitis in Indiana stemming from epidural steroid injections produced by the New England Compounding Center (NECC). According to the complaint, nationwide there were a total of 568 cases and 37 deaths across 19 states.
In September, the CDC in coordination with the Food and Drug Administration identified the NECC as the compounding pharmacy that produced the epidural steroid injections that caused the onset of meningitis in certain patients. Shortly after, NECC ceased production and initiated a recall of the drugs.
As a licensed non-resident pharmacy whose products were distributed and sold in Indiana, NECC is legally responsible for the “proper and safe storage and distribution of drugs and devices.â€
I hope when AG Zoeller’s term is up he will continue in Indiana State politics. He is a credit to the good people of Indiana.
This is a tragedy and the people affected deserve recompense.
I am fairly certain that this company has already filed for bankrutcy. About the only real damage we can inflict on these people are prison terms, which sounds pretty good to me, given the damage they have inflicted on humanity.
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