Fungal Meningitis Attorney Says: More Regulations to Come

In fungal meningitis attorney news, Massachusetts state officials passed emergency legislation last week following the 29 deaths due to the fungal meningitis outbreak.

As reported here this past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a total of 404 people from 19 states have been sickened with fungal meningitis after receiving contaminated injections from the New England compounding center in Framingham, Massachusetts.

State representatives in Massachusetts, as well as Rhode Island are calling for more regulations on the practice of “compounding“.

Compounding is altering a drug for an individual patient, usually at the request of the physician.

With the recent outbreak of fungal meningitis, this tiny corner of the very large pharmaceutical industry has come under significant scrutiny.

State Rep. Edward J Markey is seeking more federal oversight due to the recent outbreak of meningitis. He claims that the New England Compounding Center was ignoring regulations, while escaping far stricter federal oversight by large pharmaceutical companies. This kind of pharmaceutical regulation largely comes under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration.

This past week, the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy nearly unanimously approved emergency regulations which would allow state officials to spot check compounding pharmacies to make sure they are within guidelines.

Fungal Meningitis Attorney: Regulation Is the Right Step

These new restrictions and guidelines coming from the state level effectively will put an end to a “regulatory black hole” that endangers the public.

All big pharmaceutical companies undergo stringent regulation and regular inspections. However, compounding pharmacies are largely immune to these regulations and oversight.

Compounding pharmacies are used frequently by many Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Cape Cod hospitals.

For example, a baby who needs treatment for severe heartburn, may not find normal medicines in dosages as well as in delivery that are suitable to treat their condition.

Compounding pharmacies may “compound” another pharmaceutical to create a dosage and delivery form (in this example, a pleasant tasting suspension) to treat that patient.

However useful compounding pharmacies may be…they are not well regulated – as the recent fungal meningitis outbreak proves.

Compounding Pharmacies on Cape Cod, Rhode Island and Massachusetts

There are many compounding pharmacies on Cape Cod, Rhode Island and in Massachusetts. But most of these pharmacies only have compounding as a small part of their overall business.

The problem is these compounding pharmacies are not well regulated – nor are they regularly inspected.

State inspectors used to visit compounding pharmacies twice per year, but because of budget restrictions in the state of Massachusetts, this practice ended years ago.

The same is true for Rhode Island compounding pharmacies as well.

But with this new legislation, this will now change – good news for consumers, but too late for the victims of the current fungal meningitis outbreak.

Are You Safe From The Fungal Meningitis Outbreak?

If you suspect that you have been a victim of the fungal meningitis outbreak in Rhode Island or Massachusetts, look out for the signs and symptoms of meningitis.

Fungal meningitis symptoms include: fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, confusion and an altered mental status.

If you feel any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

There are many potential parties who could be responsible for your condition and they need to be held liable. So once you sought treatment, seek the advice of a fungal meningitis attorney who knows, medical malpractice law as it relates to pharmacy or general negligence.

And of course, if you have any questions or concerns regarding the fungal meningitis outbreak, contact the fungal meningitis attorneys at The Kevin P Landry Law Offices at 1-800-200-7752