Wade Coye, Personal Injury and Car Accident Attorney
Many of you read our recent e-mail about the dangers surrounding the national outbreak of Fungal Meningitis in patients who received an injection of an epidural/steroid combination produced by the pharmaceutical company, New England Compounding Center. Since that email was sent, death tolls have risen to 12, number of cases is nearing 120, and we now know that over 13,000 patients were treated with the recalled steroid. The death of a Central Florida man from July has also been connected to this outbreak, proving that this outbreak has been lurking for several months now.
According to Reuters, the first contaminated vial was used on May 21st. Considering the recall was issued within the last week or so, thousands of people were unknowingly exposed to a deadly infection, whose cause has taken months to identify.
While this steroid/epidural injection is used for back, neck, and joint pain, only patients who received the injection in their backs are contracting meningitis because of the close proximity to the spinal cord. However, this doesn’t undermine the number of people who were exposed to the contaminated injection. My question now is why it took so long to recognize the pattern of infection, and how these vials were sold in the first place and used for so long.
What it comes down to is the seemingly lax regulations on pharmaceutical companies that only deal in combination drugs. The problem is the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) can only regulate the makers of ingredients, not the compounders of a drug. While the FDA tries to make policy guidelines for these companies, like New England Compounding Center, the regulations are largely dependent on state law. In this case, state law in Massachusetts allows pharmacies to dispense compounded dugs only for an individual patient. But did this company really follow that law if they dispensed 17,000 combined doses?
As is always the case with any medical treatment, there are obvious benefits, like the weeks, months, or years of pain relief that the steroid/epidural injection is said to provide. But, there are also hidden dangers that remain out of the public eye until an event, like this national outbreak, sparks a national interest and panic.
It’s hard to imagine now, but in the 1950s, antibiotics were introduced to cattle via their feed because it was shown to increase weight gain in the animals.. Infusing the food of cattle used for beef was heavily supported by the pharmaceutical industry and it was celebrated because they thought the antibiotics would improve the overall health of America. And it did; for a while anyway. Looking back now, though, we know that it has caused bacteria to evolve into superbugs that antibiotics can no longer treat.
Obviously we can’t predict the future or the ramifications of a decision, and we’ll never be able to do that, but what this outbreak teaches us is to be cautious of the medicines and treatments you and your doctor decide are best. Approach it with a critical eye, and be careful about where your medication is coming from.
Right now, there are certain industries, like the combination pharmaceutical industry, that are regulated by the private sector and the economic market, instead of the government. The FDA This is an oversight on the part of the government, which can consequentially lead to serious injury or death. Pharmacies of this type are looking out for their own interests, instead of the patient’s health. Until the regulations change, it is our own and our doctor’s responsibility as a consumer, patient, and caretaker.
If you or a loved one has received a steroid/epidural injection to treat pain since May, be on the lookout for Meningitis symptoms outlined by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) as:
- Fever
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Nausea/vomiting
- Sensitivity to light
- Altered mental state
Nevertheless, if you do suffer unintended consequences of this injection, contact your healthcare provider immediately to receive the proper care. If you’d like to file a claim regarding this matter, contact The Coye Law Firm today for a free consultation.
