Fungal Meningitis/Tainted Injection Update – in the news
Gentry Locke has begun filing a series of Federal Complaints against New England Compounding Pharmacy, its chief pharmacist, Barry Cadden, and its marketing company, Medical Sales Management. These cases seek between $5 million and $25 million in damages. We anticipate filing more cases in the coming weeks.
Gentry Locke attorney Scott Sexton was quoted in a recent article by The Roanoke Times:
The latest lawsuits advance a new claim: The drug made by New England Compounding might have been contaminated by debris and dust from a recycling plant next door.
Knowing the risks posed by the operation, New England Compounding “engaged in what amounted to ‘Russian Roulette’ with its practices,” lawyers from the Roanoke firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore alleged on behalf of six patients.
According to the CDC’s website, the CDC continues to receive reports of patients presenting with paraspinal/spinal infections (e.g., epidural abscess, phlegmon, discitis, vertebral osteomyelitis, or arachnoiditis at or near the site of injection). These syndromes have occurred in patients with and without evidence of fungal meningitis. At the date of this posting, there are two such cases in Virginia (of a total of 51 cases statewide).
Current Case Count from the CDC
Aerial photograph of area behind New England Compounding Center (NECC). Copyright © 2012 Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
