Patients who receive medications and medical treatments trust that the products they are using and being treated with are safe and do what they are meant to do. Due to negligent manufacturing, however, some of these pharmaceutical products are actually dangerous, and potentially fatal, as is the case with contaminated epidural steroid injections produced by the Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center (NECC).
The experienced Chattanooga product liability attorneys at Massey & Associates, P.C., are committed to holding negligent pharmaceutical manufacturers responsible for distributing contaminated products. If you have suffered meningitis or if a loved one has died as a result of contaminated steroid injections in Tennessee, we can help. Call us at (423) 396-0720 for a consultation.
Nationwide Meningitis Outbreak
NECC is a compounding pharmacy as opposed to a major drug manufacturer; it mixes its own drug compounds on-site to the medication or treatment specifications requested. NECC sent three lots of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate to medical facilities across the country, much of which seems to have been used as epidural steroid injections for treating pain. These steroid injections, and any other potential medicines using the aforementioned compound, were found to be contaminated with a fungus, which has caused a multistate meningitis outbreak. While the three lots have since been recalled, along with every other NECC product, the potentially contaminated steroid injections began on May 21, 2012 and have potentially exposed hundreds or even thousands of patients to meningitis.
Fungal Meningitis Cases in Tennessee
The rare and noncontagious fungal meningitis has resulted in a total of 91 cases of illness or death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thirty-two of these 91 cases occurred in Tennessee and include three deaths. Tennessee accounts for the highest number of meningitis cases and deaths in the entire nation; and these numbers may increase. If you have received steroid injections at any of the following Tennessee facilities since May 21, 2012, see your doctor immediately for potential exposure to meningitis:
- PCA Pain Care Center, Oak Ridge, TN – (865) 835-5196
- Specialty Surgery Center, Crossville, TN – (931) 484-2500, x125
- St. Thomas Outpatient Neurosurgical, Nashville, TN – (615) 341-3433
Knowing the Symptoms of Meningitis
Meningitis refers to the inflammation of the meninges, or membranes that cover and protect the spinal cord and brain. Fungal meningitis is the result of the meninges becoming infected by a fungus which has either traveled through the bloodstream or been introduced directly into the central nervous system, as is the case with epidural steroid injections into the spinal column.
If you have received a contaminated steroid injection for miningitis and have started experienced any combination of the following symptoms one or two weeks after the injection, even if mild, see your doctor right away:
- Fever
- Headache
- Nausea
- Neck stiffness
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Bright light sensitivity/discomfort
Hiring a Chattanooga Meningitis Injection Lawyer
If you have contracted meningitis as the result of a contaminated steroid infection, you have the right to hold the negligent company responsible for their distribution of a contaminated product. The knowledgeable Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Massey & Associates, P.C., can help you get the financial support you deserve to recover from your illness or obtain justice for the death of a loved one.
