In the CapeCodeToday News dated 12/31/12, Massachusetts lawmakers began pursuing changes in state laws governing pharmacies. The following summary appears:
4) COMPOUNDED DRUGS, COMPOUNDING PROBLEMS
A nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis landed on the doorstep of public health regulators in Massachusetts after the source of the infections was traced to the Framingham-based New England Compounding Center that had been manufacturing injectable steroids for widespread distribution in violation of its state pharmacy license. To date, the contaminated steroids have led to 620 cases of infection in 19 states, contributing to 39 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Though no one in Massachusetts was treated with the contaminated drugs, the public health crisis exposed wide gaps in the federal and state regulatory structure for compounding pharmacies and led to the issuance of emergency regulations by Gov. Deval Patrick to improve reporting and start more random spot checks of pharmacies located in Massachusetts. The Board of Registration in Pharmacy also got an overhaul in its membership, and state lawmakers embarked on a series of oversight hearings to explore the reasons why NECC was able to operate undetected as a compounded drug manufacturer in violation its state license. The stage is now set for lawmakers to pursue changes in state laws governing pharmacies in the session that starts on Wednesday.
Quotation appears here
4) COMPOUNDED DRUGS, COMPOUNDING PROBLEMS
A nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis landed on the doorstep of public health regulators in Massachusetts after the source of the infections was traced to the Framingham-based New England Compounding Center that had been manufacturing injectable steroids for widespread distribution in violation of its state pharmacy license. To date, the contaminated steroids have led to 620 cases of infection in 19 states, contributing to 39 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Though no one in Massachusetts was treated with the contaminated drugs, the public health crisis exposed wide gaps in the federal and state regulatory structure for compounding pharmacies and led to the issuance of emergency regulations by Gov. Deval Patrick to improve reporting and start more random spot checks of pharmacies located in Massachusetts. The Board of Registration in Pharmacy also got an overhaul in its membership, and state lawmakers embarked on a series of oversight hearings to explore the reasons why NECC was able to operate undetected as a compounded drug manufacturer in violation its state license. The stage is now set for lawmakers to pursue changes in state laws governing pharmacies in the session that starts on Wednesday.
Quotation appears here
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