This Sunday, March 10th, CBS 60 Minutes will air a segment called Lethal Medicine (@7PM ET).  I strongly urge you to watch this segment.  Scott Pelley will investigate New England Compounding Center (NECC).  Last fall it was determined a steroid injection medication manufactured by NECC was the source of the fungal meningitis outbreak that so far has killed 48 and sickened over 800 people around the country.  My friends in Michigan – your state has the second highest number of deaths reported.

Why is this piece so important to you and me?  Because NECC is a drug compounding pharmacy.  This type of pharmacy is becoming commonplace as the major drug supplier to hospitals, surgery centers and clinics around the country.  Ameridose, another pharmacy linked by ownership to NECC, was shut down last fall pending investigation by the FDA and Massachusetts State Board of Health.  They failed many parts of the investigation but their owner has plans to re-open the facility.

Why do I care?  Because I worked for another company linked by ownership to both pharmacies.  I wasn’t a pharmacist.  Because of the extended shutdown of Ameridose, more than 750 of us were laid off last November.  I have wanted to write a piece on this story for quite some time but haven’t because of pending litigation, lawsuits, etc.  I can tell you this, though – you will learn a lot about where the drugs come from that are administered to you at a hospital.  This broadcast will open your eyes to the big money being made by these pharmacies and the shortcuts that are taken to achieve maximum profits while putting YOUR life in potential danger.

60 Minutes will probably spend only 20 minutes on this piece but I will let them tell you the story.  You will most likely hear from a few former NECC employees as whistleblowers, possibly an interview or two with FDA and Department of Health investigators.  You will hear how pharmacies like NECC have found legal loopholes in the state and federal regulations that govern them.

Most importantly, though, I think you will be appalled at what you see, possibly enough to contact your government representatives, state board of health, or the FDA.  After viewing this episode, if you have an urge to contact the people or organizations I just mentioned, I encourage you to do so.

Here is a preview of the segment.

Related articles

• NECC insider describes fraud at heart of meningitis outbreak (cbsnews.com)
• Whistleblower Lab Tech Speaks Out on NECC Contamination (defectivedruganddeviceresourcecenter.com)
• Insider Speaks Out On Meningitis Outbreak That Impacted Californians (sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com)
• 60 Minutes and New England Compounding Pharmacy (fdarecalls.wordpress.com)
• Fungal Meningitis MDL: How Will It Affect Lawsuits? (prweb.com)