The investigation continues into what exactly led to 14,000 people potentially being placed at risk of suffering a meningitis infection stemming from a contaminated steroid injection. Now comes word that not only could the investigation into the New England Compounding Center be expanded, but that agents with the Food and Drug Administration have raided that company’s facility in Framingham, Massachusetts.
A Massachusetts Congressman wants the Justice Department to get involved in the current investigation. If that happens, the Drug Enforcement Agency representatives might go into action. This would increase the severity of the investigation considerably. As of right now, the FDA and state agencies are those investigating the company.
News of these potentially expanded investigations comes as the plant responsible for distributing the contaminated steroids is being searched by the FDA with help from local law enforcement. The NECC did not comment on the raid, but they did say they were in the process of reviewing information given to them by the FDA.
FDA officials have expanded consumer health warnings to include any product that came from the plant. Indeed, in addition to the steroids that reportedly suffered from the fungal contamination that led to the meningitis outbreak, there have now been issued a couple reports of infection stemming from two completely different items.
Lawsuits have also begun to be filed against the company. In Michigan, two patients who have already had to submit to treatment have filed suit in federal court.