Pharmacy: Cleaners should share blame for meningitis outbreak

By CNN Staff

updated 3:42 PM EST, Fri January 4, 2013

Bottles containing injectable steroids distributed by the New England Compounding Center, suspected in a meningitis outbreak.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- A Massachusetts pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak says its cleaning contractor should share blame for the apparent mishap that left dozens dead nationwide.

The New England Compounding Center sent a letter to UniFirst Corp. demanding it share responsibility for a tainted steroid used to treat pain and inflammation, according to a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

UniFirst Corp. acknowledged that it provided "once-a-month cleaning services," but added that the pharmacy's claims are "without merit," the filing says.

Last week, the compounding center announced that it had filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.

The company said that it "seeks to establish a fund to compensate individuals and families affected" by the outbreak, which has been linked to 39 fatalities among the 656 cases tallied in 19 states.

Patients contracted fungal meningitis -- which results in inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord -- after their spines were injected with a contaminated, preservative-free steroid called methylprednisolone acetate, health officials have said.

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Pharmacy: Cleaners should share blame for meningitis outbreak