New law addresses 'compounded' drugs
A new federal law will increase federal oversight of "compounding pharmacies," according to DFL U.S. Sen. Al Franken.
The law comes a year after a meningitis outbreak from contaminated steroid injections infected more than 700 people and killed 64 nationwide.
Ham Lake resident Holly Peterson, 49, received one of the tainted steroid injections.
"My liver and kidneys were failing because of the multiple medications they were giving me to kill this fungal meningitis," she said. "It was found that the black mold found in the building of the compounding company was actually in my spinal fluid."
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Peterson recovered after six months of treatment but still worries her symptoms will return.
Franken says the new law requires the FDA to regulate companies that ship compounded drugs across state lines.
"So it's now the law of the land and hopefully this will mean that we will never see this again," said Franken.
The sickness was eventually traced to the now-closed New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts.
"We got rid of this loophole so that people who ship across state lines and make compounded drugs in the way that the New England Center for Compounding did, is they will be regulated by the FDA," Franken said.
Inspectors found mold, standing water and other unsterile conditions. The company shipped more than 17,600 doses of the implicated steroid injections to 23 states.
The Associated Press contibuted to this report.