WASHINGTON, Oct 13: US lawmakers yesterday widened their investigation into the deadly meningitis outbreak to include the role state regulators played in monitoring the pharmacy that produced steroid treatments blamed for killing 14 people in six states.
The US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee called on the Massachusetts pharmacy board to tell congressional staff what it knew about the New England Compounding Center before the recall of more than 17,000 vials of injectable steroid treatments for back and joint pain from health facilities in 23 states.
Separately, New England Compounding, which voluntarily gave up its license in Massachusetts after it was identified as the likely source of the outbreak, started to shed employees.
The suburban Boston company has cut more than half of its workforce, or about 40 employees.
New England Compounding, which had been licensed in 49 states, is expected to face a torrent of regulatory action and lawsuits.
As past regulatory actions came into focus the US House panel, which oversees health issues including drug safety, said the US Food and Drug Administration was aware of production problems at Framingham, Massachusetts-based firm in 2006, including potential public health risks involving a different sterile injectable drug.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee said it would seek information next week from “critical stakeholders” involved in the outbreak, following a closed-door Friday briefing from the staff of the FDA and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (agencies)
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