Indiana AG files complaint against company that produced contaminated meds linked to meningitis The New England Compounding Center named

Posted: 10/26/2012 
Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

• By: Rafael Sanchez

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Attorney General's Office is taking action against the Massachusetts-based company that produced contaminated steroids linked to the deaths of 24 people nationwide, including three in Indiana.

The state's complaint against New England Compounding Center of Framingham, Mass., was filed Friday morning in Marion County with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.

The complaint was filed Friday morning seeking to suspend the license of the pharmacy for 90 days.

All three Indiana deaths from fungal meningitis caused by injections of the recalled back pain medication have been linked to Elkhart County, as have more than two-thirds of the state's 41 total cases, the county's health officer confirmed.

The New England Compounding Center is already the target of one civil lawsuit from Indiana.

Natalie Copass received three injections for her back pain from the WellSpring Clinic in Columbus. Her lawsuit seeks damages for pain and suffering, medical treatment and lost time from work.

The state health department said Indiana has 1,502 people who were exposed to the contaminated mmedications through an epidural or joint injection.

Fungal meningitis is not contagious, health officials have said.

Nationwide, there have been 24 deaths and 317 cases of fungal meningitis in 17 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

The Indiana Attorney General's Office is expected to release more information about the complaint Friday morning.

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