FDA should have punished NECC earlier

In 2003 the FDA had in mind to shut down the New England Compounding Center (NECC) that recently caused the meningitis outbreak in some states of America. The company manufactured contaminated Methylprednisolone Acetate injections. Over 400 individuals that used the contaminated steroid injections got fungal meningitis. This illness turned out to be fatal for 39 persons.
According to a recent report released by the House of Energy and Commerce Committee, the meningitis outbreak could have been prevented. The report revealed numerous cases related to the Massachusetts pharmacy that should have been shut down by the FDA earlier.
The FDA stated in 2003 that the NECC should not have manufactured drugs till improving of the situation. But finally the FDA didn’t prohibit manufacture of medications at the NECC. Since the NECC was claimed to be a pharmacy, it should have been monitored by Massachusetts officials. Thus, the FDA let Massachusetts colleagues to improve the situation. As for Massachusetts officials, they didn’t ban manufacture of medications at once. The NECC continued to produce drugs. Only Barry Cadden, the owner of the NECC, got reprimand.
Moreover, the NECC was accused of several illegal activities. The company acted inappropriately under its license. Being a pharmacy, the NECC acted as a manufacturer and shipped thousands doses of preparations to hospitals and individual patients.
In 2002 several individuals experienced unusual side reactions after they had administered bethamethasone injections produced by the Massachusetts pharmacy.
Later several individuals who received methylprednisolone acetate injections manufactured by the NECC were sickened with bacterial meningitis. Since these persons received full recovery because of antibiotics, the case was forgotten. The NECC was not sanctioned for the tainted preparations.
These and even certain other cases display that the NECC should have punished earlier. The company should have been shut down for its illegal and improper operations. But the Massachusetts pharmacy was never sentenced to any serious penalties. As a result, the pharmacy continued to manufacture drugs that were dangerous for consumers’ health. Finally, the meningitis outbreak caused by tainted injections of the Massachusetts pharmacy spread to several states and sickened many individuals. If the company had been closed earlier, the contamination with deadly fungal meningitis would not have occurred.