Compounding pharmacies have become a target of scrutiny now that the New England Compounding Center has been found to have distributed contaminated injectable steroids across the country, leading to a widespread outbreak of fungal meningitis that has claimed numerous lives. With Congress and the FDA looking into what can be done to promote safety in the future, it’s not surprising that various consumer watchdogs are throwing in their two cents.
Public Citizen is one such group. They have distributed a letter to the Food and Drug Administration asking the agency to reexamine the practices of compounders that had previously been the recipients of warnings from 2003 to 2012. Public Citizen believes that the safety of consumers could benefit from following up with these 16 compounders. They say that full investigations may not have occurred so as to ensure that the companies addressed the issues brought up in the letters.
The compounders, found in 15 states, received the letters for a variety of alleged violations as detailed by the FDA. Those violations included such things as creating drugs using ingredients that have not received FDA approval, copying medications the FDA has approved, and initiating compounding procedures without a prescription from a doctor.
News will likely continue to come out in regards to the meningitis outbreak, so stay tuned to learn more about the fallout.