The compounding pharmacy that was responsible for distributing the epidural steroid compound that is being linked to the deadly fungal meningitis outbreak in Tennessee and other states has voluntarily suspended its license. The name of the company is The New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts. St. Thomas Outpatient Neurosurgery Center in Nashville, Tennessee was one of at least three health care facilities in the State of Tennessee that received the compounded drug in question. There are 18 reported cases in Tennessee - with 4 deaths from the meningitis infection. The CDC has reported cases in Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida.
Compounding pharmacies do not make the drug, but they take the medicines and combine them and distribute them. The end product does not go through the federal government's approval process.
Questions will be asked (in addition to the obvious questions regarding the apparent breakdowns at the compounding facility):
Why did these particular health care facilities go through a compounded pharmacy instead of the more traditional drug companies?
What procedures did these health care facilities have in place to make sure the compounding pharmacy was a reputable company?
If a trucking company is in need of a driver, doesn't that company have a responsibility to do more than just see if the driver has a driver's license? Absolutely. The company must make sure the driver is a safe driver. What kind of record does the driver have? What did St. Thomas, and the other affected health care facilities know about this compounding pharmacy company?
Nashville Malpractice Attorneys Helping Families
This is not about the blame game. These are real people going through real problems - people now facing enormous medical bills and looking at long term rehabilitation if they survive. The fungal meningitis attacks the brain - and in several instances, has destroyed the brain. The people with the infection are aware of what is going on to them. It is devastating.
The families that I currently represent want to know how did this happen and what can be done to make sure it doesn't happen to other families. They don't want other families to have to experience the living nightmare they are going through as a result of receiving the fungal meningitis.
One of the important things about this investigation is to make sure guidelines and procedures are in place that will prevent this from happening to other families.