It's been more than a year since a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak traced to a filthy New England compounding pharmacy put a shocking spotlight on the risks of medications mass-produced by underregulated firms.
Yet despite the outrage and calls for action, small drug manufacturers masquerading as pharmacies have continue to ship contaminated products. In late October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised hospitals and other clients of a Michigan-based compounding pharmacy not to use any of its sterile products after “unidentified particulate matter” was found floating in a product intended for hospital use.
Over the past year, products made by other compounders have been linked to eye infections, skin and soft-tissue abscesses, and bacterial bloodstream infections.
Read the full editorial at the Star-Tribune