Health commissioner touts pharmacy regulations

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The state is taking steps to make sure mistakes made at a Massachusetts-based compounding pharmacy blamed for a fatal meningitis outbreak dont occur at similar centers in Tennessee, the states health commissioner said Wednesday.

John Dreyzehner told members of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee that what happened at the New England Compounding Center was preventable.

The outbreak, discovered in Tennessee in September, is linked to steroid injections from the center. Compounding pharmacies custom-mix medications in doses or in forms that generally arent commercially available.

What happened in Massachusetts was tragic, but totally preventable, Dreyzehner said.

In Tennessee, the commissioner said the number of people sickened by the outbreak is 147 with 14 deaths. Nationwide, 693 people have gotten sick and 45 people have been killed.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Fungal meningitis is not contagious.

Dreyzehner said a task force formed by the state Board of Pharmacy has been discussing preventive measures, such as more regulation, and is expected to make recommendations at a hearing on Thursday.

He acknowledged that compounding pharmacy regulation is complex, but essential.

We need to consider how to do these things more safely to make sure they dont happen again, he said.

Even though the fungal meningitis outbreak was discovered in Tennessee in September, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say the earliest deaths tied to it date to July.

See the article here:
Health commissioner touts pharmacy regulations