Previous meningitis outbreak did not trigger additional oversight, changes

Nov 7 2012

The Washington Post reports that, despite an outbreak of fungal meningitis that took place 10 years ago and was linked to injections made by a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts, not much has changed. Meanwhile, Politico adds that a recall of drugs related to the most recent round of illness could add to a critical drug shortage.

The Washington Post: Previous Fungal Meningitis Outbreak A Decade Ago Resulted In No Oversight Changes
First, David Brannon couldn't believe it. Then he couldn't stand hearing about it. Hundreds of people were ill with fungal meningitis they had contracted after getting pain-killing injections made by a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts. Dozens were dead, and the numbers were still rising (Brown, 11/5).

Politico: Nationwide Drug Recall Likely To Deepen Shortages
The recall of all drugs from a Massachusetts manufacturer -; in the latest response to the meningitis outbreak -; will most likely exacerbate a critical shortage of at least six drugs that were already in short supply. Hundreds of products were recalled Wednesday by Ameridose, a sister company to New England Compounding Center that is at the center of the Food and Drug Administration's investigation into the fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed 29 and sickened more than 400. The FDA recommended the recall after saying that it "could not assure the sterility" of Ameridose products but has offered no other details (Norman, 11/6).