Back in October 2012, a fungal meningitis outbreak hit the United States when Massachusetts-based compounding pharmacy, New England Compounding Center, distributed contaminated medication. Doses from three lots of medication used for epidural steroid injections were distributed to 75 medical facilities in 23 states. Now, months later, 55 people have died, and more than 740 are being treated for persistent fungal infections.
The new scary reality for these victims is that relapses are possible, despite aggressive treatment. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned that they've observed one case of a man relapsing and are currently investigating three other possible cases. The man who has relapsed is 80 years old and thought he was in the clear after taking anti-fungal drugs for more than four months. Unfortunately, within a few weeks of stopping the treatment, he was back in the Emergency Room with signs of a fungal infection. Rachel M. Smith, a CDC epidemiologist, wrote that CDC guidelines now suggest that some patients with complicated nervous system infections could end up requiring treatment for several months or a year, but there's a chance it could extend even longer.
Even some patients that have not relapsed continue to be in immense amounts of pain due to the past infection.
Were you one of the more than 700 people who were victims of New England Compounding Center's reckless behavior and poor decisions? Has your life changed forever in an extremely negative way? If you live in Texas, Arkansas, or Oklahoma, contact Girards Law for a free consultation at 888-897-2762