AG files complaint in meningitis outbreak

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Indiana Attorney General’s office has filed a complaint against the New England pharmacy linked to the outbreak of fungal meningitis.

Greg Zoeller’s office filed a licensing complaint Wednesday against the New England Compounding Center’s non-resident pharmacy license.

The Indiana Board of Pharmacy voted in November to indefinitely suspend the pharmacy’s license.

Zoeller said the formal complaint will be considered in the board’s Feb. 11 meeting.

ONLINE EXTRA | Fungal meningitis outbreak map

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration identified the NECC as the compounding pharmacy that produced the injections that caused the onset of meningitis in some patients.

Production of the injection was stopped and a recall of the drugs began.

By Dec. 12, the CDC identified 568 cases and 37 deaths across 19 states stemming from epidural steroid injections produced by the NECC, according to a release.

The NECC is legally responsible for the “proper and safe storage and distribution of drugs and devices,” as they are a licensed, non-resident pharmacy.