Articles Posted in defective products

Energy drinks are advertised as a great boost of energy and many see them that way. They are often consumed by students interested in staying up late to study or have fun, or by adults who have busy and harried lives and who need a little pick-me-up. In some cases, energy drinks are even consumed with alcohol, so the drink can act as a stimulant to keep you awake even as the depressant of alcohol is consumed.

Unfortunately, energy drinks may give you a little more than the pick-me-up you expect. Monster Energy drinks and other caffeine-boosting drinks such as 5-Hour Energy Shots or Rockstar Energy have been linked to both serious illnesses and death. Our Foxboro personal injury attorneys urge everyone to understand that Monster Energy drinks are dangerous and to make smart and fully informed choices about whether taking a Monster drink is right for you.

The Dangers of Monster Energy Drinks
The dangers of Monster Energy drinks and other energy boosters have been discussed a great deal in recent months as reports of death or injury come to light. WebMD explains that:

• There have been 40 illnesses and five deaths linked to Monster Energy drinks
• There have been 13 illnesses and two lasting disabilities linked to Rockstar Energy
• There have been 92 illnesses and 13 deaths linked to 5-Hour Energy Shots

The death and injury reports are called Adverse Event Reports (ARE). The complaints and reports of death or injury are filed with the FDA by injured patients or by family members of those who have been harmed. In the case of the energy drinks, they have triggered an FDA investigation intended to determine if energy drinks are dangerous and need to be recalled or more tightly regulated.

Why Are Monster Energy Drinks Dangerous?
Monster and other energy drinks are dangerous because of the high amounts of caffeine that they contain. When a person consumes too much caffeine, his or her heart rate can speed up. Caffeine toxicity is a common result of excess caffeine and a patient may experience significant medical complications or even death due to consuming too much caffeine.

Energy drinks make it much easier for a person to overdose on caffeine in a devastating or perhaps fatal way. The drinks make it easier because so much caffeine is packed into the little bottles, making it possible to get a lot of caffeine into your system in a very short time.

Unfortunately, the full extent of the caffeine in many of the energy drinks isn’t known since the current rules indicate that manufacturers only have to report caffeine added and not caffeine that is naturally occurring in other products within the drink. Those consuming the energy drink may also not have been properly warned about what the side effects could mean for them.

Unless or until tougher regulations are passed or energy drinks taken from the market, consumers need to be careful in drinking these drinks and need to make safety a top priority over a quick caffeine-induced state.
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Gas grills are a popular product, with many people keeping a propane grill in their backyard or on their balcony in order to enjoy those grill-cooked receipes. Unfortunately, gas grills are not always a harmless household product for making a quick meal. In some tragic cases, gas grills can cause horrific injury or even death.

One recent incident involving a high profile celebrity brought the dangers of gas grills to widespread public attention. The incident involved ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, who suffered first and second degree burns after her propane grill caused an explosion. Our Boston injury attorneys urge everyone to pay attention to this accident and to consider it a wake-up call about the potential danger their grill might present to them.

Grilling Accident Brings Grill Dangers Into the Spotlight
Grilling accidents happen every year, with the National Fire Protection Association reporting that as many as 6,900 home fires occurred between 2005 to 2009 because of a gas grill. Although the accidents are common, they often don’t make major headlines and they may go unnoticed by homeowners who assume their backyard barbeques are relatively safe.

Storm was cooking dinner when she noticed that her grill had stopped working. When Storm relit the grill, it did not simply ignite but instead erupted into a massive explosion and ball of fire.

The explosion was so loud the neighbor said it sounded like a tree falling on the house and the explosion was so powerful it blew the doors right off of the grill. It also set Storm’s shirt on fire, causing second degree burns on her chest area. The fire had exploded in her face, so she also suffered injuries to her face as well including first degree burns on her face and neck and the loss of her eyebrows and half her hair.

Fortunately, Storm has been able to make an effective recovery from the explosion, despite the serious injuries she suffered. Yahoo Sports provided photographs of those injuries, which show how badly burned Storm was by the fire from the grill. Fortunately, Storm was able to recover relatively quickly. The accident happened in December and she was hosting the Rose Parade on New Years Day.

Grills Cause Serious Burn Injuries
Storm’s speedy return to television was possible only because the burns she suffered were not as severe as they could have been. Burns are divided into degrees, with first degree burns impacting only the outer layer of skin and second degree burns penetrating only through the second layer of the skin. In the event of a third or fourth degree burn, which are also very real possibilities if a propane grill explodes, the injuries and damage can be much more harmful. Third degree burns involve all of the skin’s layers as well as some tissue damage while fourth degree burns damage muscle, ligaments and tendon and are often fatal.

Explosions and resulting burns can occur due to a design defect in the grill, a malfunction in the grill, or a problem with the propane tank used to supply the grill. In any case, second and third degree burns could require skin grafting and other expensive treatment. The manufacturer or distributor of the defective grill or of the defective propane tank can potentially be held accountable and made to pay for damages.
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In recent months, patients throughout the United States have been fearful of meningitis outbreaks after the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham Massachusetts sent out vials of steroids that were contaminated with fungus and bacteria. The steroids were used to inject patients with back and joint pain, so the fungus and bacteria was injected directly into the spine. Some patients died as a result of the contaminated injections and the resulting meningitis, while others suffered serious strokes or other complications.

In light of the outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now considering new rules for pharmacies. Our Watertown personal injury attorneys urge lawmakers to take a tough stance on regulating pharmacies and to do everything possible to protect patients from another deadly outbreak like the one suffered as a result of NECC’s failures.

The New Pharmacy Rules After the Deadly Meningitis Outbreak
According to a recent NBC News article, FDA officials and state representatives scheduled a December meeting in order to address how to better regulate pharmacies.

The issue with the current regulations is that the function of compounding centers has changed in recent years. Compounding centers exist in order to make medications by mixing and distributing drugs. Typically, these compounding pharmacies take individual prescriptions from patients and make medications to order. These small compounding pharmacies are regulated by states while large drug manufacturers are regulated by the FDA. However, there is also another type of compounding pharmacy, which is dubbed a “super-compounder,” and the FDA wants to recognize these as a separate type of compounder to be regulated differently. The FDA, in other words, would create two categories of compounding pharmacy.

Super-compounders operate differently than traditional compounding centers and have only existed for about a decade. These pharmacies, like NECC, are high output pharmacies that operate on a grand scale. In effect, they are manufacturing drugs and distributing them widely- yet they are not currently regulated as manufacturers and they are not subject to the federal regulations and oversight that they should be subject to because they are considered compounders.

These super compounders are, in essence, illegally manufacturing drugs under the guise of pharmacy compounding. The FDA proposes to shift the regulations of these facilities to the federal government while leaving states responsible for small compounding facilities. The two categories that would be created are compounders, regulated by the states, and super-compounders, regulated by the government.

Consumer Groups Point to Problems with Proposed FDA Regulations
Although the FDA does aim to shift some of the oversight of super-compounders to the federal government and away from the states, NBC News reports that a consumer group called Public Citizen is concerned that the FDA proposal is not the most effective way to make consumers safer.

Public Citizen points out that the FDA is legitimizing the potentially illegal manufacturing by compounders and expressed concern that the FDA was trying to pass some responsibility for regulating even large compounders to the states. The consumer group also argues that the large super-compounders would largely be manufacturing steroids, which are injectable and which are a high-risk class of drugs.

Tougher Oversight Needed to Protect Patients From Drug Dangers
Regardless of whether the consumer group is right or whether the FDA’s new regulations are the answer, it is clear that tougher regulation of some type is necessary. Lawmakers need to act to make sure that compounding pharmacies meet safety guidelines and need to do everything in their power to prevent another outbreak like the one caused by NECC’s failures.
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Tires are one of the most important parts of your vehicle since the vehicle literally rests and moves on them. Unfortunately, in recent years, a spate of tire problems has led to serious and fatal injuries.

Some of the problems involve an issue with the tires themselves, such as when tires on Mercury Mountaineers and Ford Explorers began losing their treads and disintegrating. In other cases, the problem with the tires is caused by another vehicle defect. For example, on December 18th, Auto Blog reported that Jaguar Land Rover had issued a recall on up to 70 different vehicles due to brake problems. The issue: the bake caliper could detach and could damage a wheel by causing tire deflation.

In any case, whether the problem is isolated to the tire or whether there is a larger issue that could impact the tires, manufacturers must act quickly in notifying the public of the dangers. A failure to provide proper notice of the defect and to institute a timely recall could put thousands in harm’s way, and our Boston accident attorneys understand the devastating consequences that can result.

The Consequences of a Delayed Recall
When a tire or any part of a vehicle has a defect, the manufacturer of either the tire or of the vehicle is often one of the first to become aware of the potential problem. The manufacturer is also in the best position to investigate the potential dangers and to warn their customers.

When a tire malfunctions, for example, manufacturers can issue a warning and institute a recall of all vehicles with the faulty or the malfunctioning tire. The NHTSA details the recall rules on their website including outlining when a recall may be required.

Car manufacturers also have another important obligation in addition to communicating with customers. That obligation is to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) that there is a problem.

By providing proper and timely notice to the government, car manufacturers can jump-start an investigation into potential dangers that are impacting consumers. The relevant government authorities can take action to warn and to help the public who may be in danger due to the defect. Letting the government know of defects is so important that there are actually regulations in the U.S. that require manufacturers to share problems with the government.

When a manufacturer fails to institute a recall and/or to let the appropriate government authorities know that their cars or tires have a defect, more lives are put at risk as people continue using their defective cars or tires without being aware of the fact they are putting themselves in danger.

Car manufacturers can face strict punishments as a result of the danger to life that they create by failure to follow U.S. Safety Guidelines and report safety risks. According to a December 18, 2012 article on Tire Business.com, for example, Toyota recently had to pay a $17.4 million fine for a failure to report a defect in their vehicles involving an accelerator pedal becoming trapped.

Toyota’s fine was a record fine, the largest in history for failure to report a defect. However, it demonstrates clearly the cost to car-makers who are lax in their safety obligations to consumers. In the event that a tire defect is faced in the future, manufactures should remember the large fine as an important cautionary story and should be sure to take prompt and swift action to let consumers know that bad tires might put them at risk.
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When you hear the words “tire recall,” your mind likely goes to the major recalls that took place in 2000. These recalls were of Firestone tires on Ford vehicles including Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers. The problems were occurring due to the tread of the tires peeling off in a process called tread separation. Once the tread peeled off, the tire began to disintegrate. When the vehicle was going at full speed with the failing tires, there was a significant risk of the vehicle rolling over. Several hundred deaths and injuries resulted from these roll-over accidents and a widespread and famous tire recall occurred that was widely reported.

While the Ford and Firestone tire recall was perhaps the most famous and well-known tire recall in recent years, the fact remains that there are also other dangerous tires out there. Our Boston defective tire attorneys have a list of a few other tire recalls that occurred during 2012 as well as some tips for staying safe and making sure you aren’t driving on defective tires.

Tire Recalls in 2012
As 2012 draws to a close, several tire recalls have occurred or are underway. For example:

• In July of 2012, CBS 6 reported that Michelin North America had instituted a voluntary recall of 841,000 BFGoodrich and Uniroyal Tires. The affected tires were produced between April 2010 and July 2012 and were mainly found on full-sized heavy duty vans and light commercial trucks. Some drivers, however, might have bought the tires and used them on their personal cars. The tires were being recalled due to a potential tread-belt separation issue. No injuries had been reported at the time of the recall, although there is an increased injury risk.
• In October of 2012, Consumer Reports indicated that Yokohama Tire was recalling almost 11,000 of its Avid Touring S Vehicle tires. The recall was apparently necessary because improper geometry created production flaws. The consequences of the flaws could include cracks in the sidewalls of the tires or a sudden decrease in air pressure in the tires, causing the risk of a crash to increase. Again, no injuries were reported at the time of the recall. The recall was limited to only one size of all season tires.

These recalls demonstrate that tire dangers are still present and that drivers of cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles all could potentially be at risk.

Staying Safe From Tire Recalls
Since many tire recalls are not as well publicized as the Ford and Firestone tire disaster, it is important for every driver to stay aware about potential recalls that could affect him. Recalls.gov provides you with online resources where you can find out about any recalls related to consumer products and motor vehicles. Checking their website routinely can be a smart way to make sure you do not miss any news about tire defects.

If you do receive something from the manufacturer of your car or tires, then it is a good idea to open the correspondence immediately to make sure it is not a recall notice.

By keeping tabs on what tires are recalled, you can help to ensure that you and your loved ones avoid accidents due to tire defects.
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When a defective product or a defective medical device causes you harm, you can file a lawsuit against the manufacturer who produced that product. If a person is killed as a result of a defective medical product or device, his or her surviving family members can bring a wrongful death claim. Unfortunately, in some cases, it is very challenging to prove that the defective product was actually the cause of some type of compensable harm. For example, a drug may cause a bad side effect such as high blood pressure, but since lots of things cause high blood pressure it can be hard to link the use of the drug to the resulting medical problem.

In the case of GranuFlo, however, proving that the drug is dangerous may be a little bit easier. Our Boston dialysis malpractice attorneys explain why.

The FDA Recall of GranuFlo

In the United States, an estimated 400,000 people receive dialysis each year and approximately a third of those receiving dialysis use products from a company called Fresenius. One such product is called GranuFlo. GranuFlo is an alkaline intended to neutralize acids that build up in a patient’s body during dialysis. Unfortunately, GranuFlo contained a lot of a substance that converted to bicarbonate in the body. Clinicians weren’t aware of this and didn’t adjust their treatment accordingly, and many patients began to experience bicarbonate overdoses.

A bicarbonate overdose creates a risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Patients in Fresenius’ own dialysis clinics began experiencing serious complications and more than 900 suffered heart attacks by November of 2011 when Fresenius sent out an internal memo to care providers in their clinics warning them of the dangers. Despite the huge number of heart attacks, Fresenius did not warn the general public and many more patients at dialysis clinics throughout the U.S. continued to be given GranuFlo and continued to be at risk for cardiac problems.

The FDA, however, took action and a Class I recall was issued in March of 2012. Class I recalls are limited only to situations where there is a serious risk of injury or death.

What the Recall Means For Your Dialysis Malpractice Case
The FDA Class I recall is very important for patients who have already suffered a cardiac event as a result of a Fresenius product. It is also very important for family members who have lost loved ones due to the sudden development of cardiac arrest due to dialysis. The recall is important to these individuals not because it can stop a heart attack that has already happened, but because it provides evidence that the injured victims can use to get fair and just compensation from Fresenius.

The FDA warning helps patients to overcome the difficulties inherent in proving that a drug or device specifically caused harm. With the FDA’s class I recall, it is openly and clearly acknowledged that GranuFlo is dangerous and that it is linked to cardiac arrest. Patients, therefore, will be able to use this information in a personal injury action against the manufacturers for the defective dialysis drugs.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating the drug and medical device industry in the United States. While the FDA has broad power when it comes to drugs and medical devices, many drug recalls are not done at the behest of the FDA but instead are voluntarily done by manufacturers who realize their products are dangerous. When the FDA recalls a drug product or medical device, it is because there are serious and proven complications associated with the drug or device.

In 2012, there were two products that the FDA recalled. One was called GranuFlo and one was called NaturaLyte. These products were dialysis products that were made by a company called Fresenius Medical Care. Our Boston dialysis malpractice attorneys want to make sure everyone is aware of the recall as well as of the impact that the recall has on the legal rights of patients who have experienced complications due to the defective dialysis products.

The Dangers of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte
GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are both alkaline substances that are administered to patients undergoing dialysis in order to neutralize the acid that can build up in the patients’ blood streams. Unfortunately, they also contain more of a substance called acetate that converts to bicarbonate in the body.

Doctors and care providers in dialysis centers who are not aware of this may not adjust the amount of bicarbonate that they administer to patients. The acetate in the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte can, therefore, lead to an overabundance of bicarbonate in the body. This creates a serious cardiac risk. As a result, dialysis patients given GranuFlo or NaturaLyte had a higher rate of sudden cardiac arrest.

On November 4, 2011, Fresenius sent out an internal memo alerting its own clinics of the increased risk of cardiac arrest. The memo indicated that 941 patients undergoing dialysis had experienced cardiac arrest at a total of 557 different dialysis clinics run by Fresenius. When Fresenius compared the patients at their facilities experiencing heart problems to a group of 80,000 other dialysis patients, they found that there was a significant increase in the risk of heart problems in patients with excess bicarbonate. In other words, their GranuFlo and NaturaLyte were putting people at serious risk.

Fresenius unfortunately sent their memo only to their own clinics, not to the other dialysis patients throughout the country who were using their products. These patients were left facing a great risk of heart attack. The F.D. A., however, stepped in to issue a class I recall. The FDA initiated the Class I recall on March 29, 2012. The recall stated that the manufacturer cautioned clinicians to be aware of the bicarbonate problem.

Class I recalls are the most serious type of FDA recalls issued. They are issued in situations where there is a reasonable possibility that using the recalled product could cause serious adverse health consequences or could cause fatalities. The fact that the recall was issued is a strong condemnation of GranuFlo as a terribly dangerous product.

The FDA recall not only helps to prevent more people from being harmed by the dialysis defects but it also provides strong evidence of the link between the dangerous products and the resulting harm (in this case, the increased risk of heart attack). This makes it easier for patients who suffer harm, or for family members of those killed by sudden heart attacks, to take legal action since the FDA recall can be used as proof that the dialysis products were unreasonably dangerous.
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In the United States, there are approximately 400,000 Americans receiving dialysis. Unfortunately, those Americans were put at risk in 2012 because of a failure on the part of a company called Fresenius to warn doctors that its GranuFlo contained more of an ingredient that the body converts to bicarbonate. This was a problem because doctors failed to account for the extra bicarbonate, leading to a potential overdose.

Our Boston dialysis malpractice attorneys want to make sure patients and care providers are aware of the dangers of GranuFlo. We also want patients to understand that they may have legal rights due to the failure of Fresenius to act in making sure the risks of their products were properly disclosed.

FDA Investigation Into Fresenius After Reports of Trouble
In July of 2012, the New York Times published an article informing the public that Fresenius was under investigation as a result of their behavior surrounding GranuFlo. The New York Times succinctly summarized the problems that had arisen with GranuFlo and the failures of Fresenius to keep patients safe.

The Times article pointed out that in November, the medical office at Fresenius sent an internal memo to doctors practicing in the company’s own dialysis clinic. The memo contained a warning that the failure of doctors to use GranuFlo properly was leading to a sharp increase in the risk of patients suffering a sudden and fatal cardiac arrest. The memo urged doctors to address the issue “urgently.”

Despite the fact that the memo clearly acknowledged that GranuFlo could be extremely dangerous when doctors failed to account for the extra bicarbonates being produced, Fresenius did not issue a widespread warning to other dialysis centers. Fresenius Medical Care not only treats around a third of all U.S. dialysis patients, but it is also the leading supplier of dialysis products. Their failure to issue a warning on the GranuFlo risks, therefore, led to a serious and widespread risk for all dialysis patients throughout the country.

The New York Times explains that this failure on the part of Fresenius came to the attention of the Food and Drug Administration, who launched an investigation into whether the company violated federal operating regulations. Although the FDA is the regulatory agency in the United States responsible for overseeing the safety of drug and alcohol products, they do not have the resources to individually test for problems and monitor for every single potential complication for every drug on the marketplace. They rely, in large part, on data from manufacturers as well as reports from independent studies and details on consumer complaints in overseeing the drugs already for sale. Fresenius’ failure to alert the public, therefore, is a major problem since they may have failed to fulfill their obligations under federal law.

The New York Times indicates that a spokesperson for the company argued that they had no way of getting in touch with the dialysis centers using their product except by medical journal and that the findings were still too preliminary for publication. The problem, however, is that the company could have made the effort to communicate with customers and instead they failed to do so, putting patients at serious risk.
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The holiday season is a time when your kids probably got a lot of new toys. All of these new products coming into your home can provide your children with hours of fun over the holiday break and in the coming months. Unfortunately, they can also present a risk to your kids. The problem is that not every toy is safe and that parents often are unaware of recalls or dangers until it is too late and their kids have suffered an injury.

Every effort is made to try to stop defective and dangerous toys from coming into the country or being sold. Unfortunately, our Watertown personal injury attorneys know that bad toys still make it to the shelves and into people’s homes every day. As a parent, the best thing you can do is to become aware of toy recalls, to educate yourself about toy dangers and to supervise your kids as they play with new gifts.

The Latest Toy Recalls
On November 29, 2012, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a news report on their joint efforts with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). According to their report, they indicated that more than 2 million dangerous or defective items were kept out of the hands of kid this year as a result of CPSC and CBP efforts. Further, over the past four years, more than 8.5 million units of around 2,400 different toys and products have been seized at ports coming into the United States.

Despite the effectiveness of efforts to stop dangerous toys from coming into the U.S., kids still die each year as a result of incidents involving either imported or locally-made toys. The CPSC 2010 report on toy recalls indicated that there were 44 recalls in 2010 and that 15 kids died because of toys in 2009.

Avoiding injuries and deaths due to dangerous toys is a top priority in 2013 and in the future. To help ensure your child doesn’t become a statistic, keep up to date with the latest recalls on toys. Some of these recalls include:

• The Izoard XP Bicycles. These bicycles were recalled by Wilier Triestina due to a fall hazard. Information on refunds or replacements can be obtained at (888) 849-7779.
• Norco Havoc Bicycles from 2011. Norco is recalling the bikes as a result of the risk of cracking at the joint near the intersection of the down and top tube. For more information on the recall or a replacement, call (800) 227-5579
• Bath seats from Dream on Me. The recall in this case was prompted by a drowning hazard. The seats tip over too easily, putting kids at risk. Call (877) 201-4317 to get your free replacement.

These are just a brief sampling of some of the latest toy and kids products that could present a danger. To make sure that your child has a safe holiday season, Recalls.gov provides you with a detailed list of appropriate websites to visit to learn all about recalls on all different products. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also maintains a page on their site dedicated to Recalls and Product Safety News that you can visit to keep up-to-date.
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As investigations continue into the New England Compounding Center (NECC), the news isn’t encouraging.

In fact, according to NBC News, the bacterial and fungal contamination at the Massachusetts Compounding Center may have spread beyond the injection epidural steroids that have already been linked to a meningitis outbreak, 541 infections and more than 36 fatalities.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys want to warn individuals of these new developments in the NECC investigation. As more information on the Compounding Center comes to light, we firmly hope that no more people will have to suffer the devastation that comes with a serious or fatal infection.

More Bacteria & Fungi Identified
A Health Alert released by federal officials on Monday December 3 has raised concerns that contamination at the compounding pharmacy may be more widespread than originally believed. New lab results have shown that fungi and bacteria are present in unopened vials of three different drugs produced by the compounding center.

This new discovery refers to three new drugs, in addition to the epidural steroids that were contaminated and in addition to the two other drugs that NECC already identified Bacillus bacteria in. The newly identified contaminated drugs include injection betamethasone; triamcinolone; and cardioplegia. They are used, respectively, to treat inflammation, severe itching and during heart surgery.

The new vials of these three drugs were found to contain a dozen types of fungal species and Bacillus bacteria including Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Peniciullum. Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that some of these organisms have been linked to disease in humans.

The Risk to Patients
CDC alerts indicate that some patients have reported illnesses after receiving one of these three drugs produced at NECC. Reported complaints include inflammation of the membranes of the central nervous system, as well as other medical issues. However, there have been no confirmed reports to date of cases of fungal meningitis, spinal infections or para-spinal infections resulting from patients taking any of these three medications.

Because there have been no confirmed reports, CDC officials indicated that there is no evidence that non-methylprednisolone NECC products have caused meningitis outbreaks. However, this doesn’t mean that reports will not come to light in the future and it does not mean that the drugs are necessarily safe. According to NBC, officials from CDC are urging doctors to carefully monitor patients for any signs of fungal infection if they have been dosed with the potentially contaminated NECC medications.

The Investigation Continues
NECC is now closed but the consequences of their careless behavior are still coming to light and investigations still continue into the negligent and irresponsible behavior at the Compounding Center.

Evidence of environmental problems and unsanitary conditions in the lab dates back to at least January, and more than 14,000 patients were treated with the tainted epidural steroids that gave rise to the meningitis outbreak. New cases may still be reported from the epidural steroids or when the bacteria and fungus from these other contaminated drugs begins to manifest as an infection.
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