The steroid shots that have been linked to an outbreak of meningitis throughout the country are not made by the same company that supplies the medicine to Georgetown Hospital System.
Nationwide — as of Thursday afternoon — 14 people had died and 170 cases of fungal meningitis had been linked to a steroid injection used to treat back pain. The medicine in the injection was made by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts. An estimated 13,000 people in 23 states could be exposed to the deadly infection, according to Reuters.
Rhonda Wilson, spokeswoman for Georgetown Hospital Systems, said the tainted medicine “has no implications for patients who have received injections for back pain at any Georgetown Hospital System hospital or facility, including Georgetown Pain Management Center in Georgetown and Waccamaw Pain Management Center in Murrells Inlet.”
Wilson said a “very thorough analysis of inventory and purchase records” was conducted and Georgetown Hospital System facilities “have never ordered nor received the recalled product from New England Compounding Center.”
Patients with ongoing concerns should contact the center or facility where the procedure was performed, Wilson said.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control said no cases of fungal meningitis have been reported in South Carolina.
The compounding company has voluntarily recalled all of its products and is cooperating with authorities.
By Scott Harper
sharper@gtowntimes.com
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm322734.htm
Both Georgetown (page 61) and Waccamaw Community Hospital (page 62) are on the list
Posted by
on 11/6/2012
Waccamaw Community Hospital is on page 62...
Posted by
on 11/6/2012
ISIS Patient Safety Alert - 10/24/2012
Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Update: FDA Provides NECC Customer List (10/24/2012)
New FactFinders Now Available: Single Dose Vials/Pricing and Multi-dose Vials
FDA is making available two lists of customers (consignees) who received products that were shipped on or after May 21, 2012 from New England Compounding Center’s Framingham, MA facility. The first list includes customer names and addresses, organized by state. The second list contains the same basic information as the first list, but is organized alphabetically by customer name and also includes the specific products shipped, the quantities of product shipped, and the shipping date. The lists were prepared based on information provided by NECC, and FDA cannot vouch for the completeness or accuracy of the lists. Products shipped by NECC may be missing from the list and facility information may be incomplete. Nevertheless, this is the best information we have available, at this time, to help inform facilities and healthcare providers of NECC products shipped to their facilities since May 21, 2012.
FDA is reiterating and updating its previous recommendation that follow-up with patients be done when the following three conditions are met:
The medication was an injectable product purchased from or produced by NECC, including an ophthalmic drug that is injectable or used in conjunction with eye surgery, or a cardioplegic solution,
The medication was shipped by NECC on or after May 21, 2012, and
The medication was administered to patients on or after May 21, 2012.
Since the May 21, 2012 date is the date the first of three lots of methylprednisolone acetate implicated in the current outbreak was produced, products produced and shipped by NECC on or after May 21, 2012 are believed at this time to be of greatest risk of contamination. Now that we have shipping information available, we are updating FDA’s recommendation to health care providers so that they can focus their attention on following up with the patients who are believed to be at greatest risk of receiving a contaminated product.
Read the MedWatch Safety Alert, including links to the FDA update and the NECC Customer Lists HERE.
More information is available at: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm322734.htm
Single Dose Vial / Pricing FactFinder
Addresses cost concerns relative to implementation of CDC recommendations prohibiting reuse of single dose vials.
Multi-Dose Vials
Addresses questions posed by ISIS members about the appropriate use of multi-dose vials for multiple patients.
www.spinalinjection.org
Posted by
on 11/6/2012
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