Just last month a Framingham, Mass., drug manufacturer, New England Compounding Center (NECC), unnecessarily infected more than 400 people across the nation because of a meningitis outbreak traced to a contaminated batch of steroids made by the lab. That outbreak has been linked to a reported 386 illnesses and 28 deaths according to the latest Centers for Disese Control and Prevention data.
The drug that was infected, Methylprednisolone, was under a shortage as two other generic drug makers discontinued production of the injectable drug in 2012. There also were two additional drugs containing significant bacterial contamination discovered at NECC; Betamethasone, a steroid and Cardioplegia Solution, an injectable drug commonly used during heart surgery.
