Fungal Meningitis Linked to Three Florida Deaths and 24 Nationwide

People in pain will pay almost any price for relief. Vulnerable and suffering, they put their lives in the hands of health care providers and pharmaceutical makers, trusting them to provide relief they so desperately seek, safely and with utmost care and concern.

When that trust is broken, as it was in the case of the fungal contamination of pain medications shipped by the New England Compounding Center (NECC), it is more than cause for concern.

As many as 14,000 people may have been exposed to the deadly Exserohilum fungus contamination found by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in vials of methylprednisolone acetate, an injected medication –or steroid – used to reduce neck and back pain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 24 deaths in 17 states and more than 300 documented cases of fungal meningitis linked to the contaminated injections. Three of those deaths have been in Florida, where 19 cases have been diagnosed so far. The State of Florida, has barred NECC from doing business in the state.

Several patients suffered strokes that are believed to have resulted from their infections. The investigation also includes fungal infections associated with contaminated injections in a peripheral joint, such as a knee, shoulder or ankle.

NECC faces federal and state investigations and lawsuits over the tainted medications and its executives face a civil suit in Massachusetts that seeks to freeze the officers’ personal assets.

We are currently representing clients nationwide who have developed fungal meningitis as a result of the steroid injection. If you or a loved one has been infected, we will review your case at no charge. All information will be kept confidential.