Meningitis Outbreak Reaches Florida, Raises Need for Better Regulation

The recent nationwide outbreak of a rare strain of meningitis underscores the deadly repercussions of ineffective and lax government regulation of pharmaceutical companies. According to a recent broadcast of “The Diane Rehm Show” on NPR, “12 people have died and 121 in 10 states [including Florida] are sick with a rare form of fungal meningitis.” The outbreak has been traced to steroid pain injections for the neck and spine that were tainted with the fungus. Another estimated 13,000 people who also received injections with steroids from the same supplier may be affected. The primary company responsible for this public health crisis is the Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center, where the contaminated compounds originated.

One of the most shocking facts revealed in the NPR broadcast is that compounding pharmacy drugs and compounding facilities are held to a lower standard than other drugs and pharmacies. Further, the current meningitis outbreak was entirely avoidable and stems directly from a lack of regulatory oversight by the FDA.  The FDA reportedly issued several warnings to New England Compounding Center in the past decade, yet it failed to monitor the company more closely to ensure that it was complying with state licensing requirements and federal regulations.

Just as the devastating 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the product of systematic, negligent oversight by a government formed to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, this most recent disaster could have been prevented. Once again, large companies have proven that when left to their own devices, they will opt to cut costs at the expense of the public.  Fortunately, lawmakers are already working to pass more stringent requirements on such companies to help curb such mass tragedies in the future.

For additional information about recovery for meningitis and other damages related to the recent outbreak in Florida, please contact the experienced trial attorneys at PERENICH The Law Firm, with offices conveniently located throughout Pinellas and Pasco Counties.