Victims May be Allowed to Inspect Meningitis Pharmacy

A federal judge said that the victims of the meningitis outbreak may be allowed to conduct an exhaustive review of the facility where a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy made the drugs that sickened hundreds of patients.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal may allow inspection by experts and lawyers of the victims who are among the plaintiffs in the lawsuits filed in Massachusetts against the New England Compounding Center (NECC).

Contaminated steroid shots manufactured by NECC at its Framingham facility have been held responsible for the deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis that sickened 541 people and killed 36 from 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the AP, a lawyer for NECC agrees that the plaintiffs' lawyers have the right to inspect the facility but says that the inspection should be conducted only after a federal judicial panel rules on whether the Massachusetts suits and hundreds of others should be consolidated before a single court. The hearing by the judicial panel is scheduled in January.

The judge is expected to issue a written order after receiving suggested protocols for the inspection from lawyers.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a dangerous drug, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation and to find out if a dangerous drugs lawyer may be able to help you.

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