Meningitis Whistleblower To Appear on 60 Minutes Sunday
A NECC lab technician tells 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley he warned his supervisor the Framingham-based company's drugs were going to harm people a month before a medication the pharmacy produced began killing patients.
A lab technician tells CBS News and 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley he warned his supervisor at the New England Compounding Center that the Framingham-based company's drugs were going to harm people a month before a medication the pharmacy produced began killing patients.
Joe Connolly, in his first interview, says his concerns were literally met with a shrug by the supervisor at the center, which is now under criminal investigation. Connolly appears in a 60 Minutes investigation into NECC, the compounding pharmacy that produced thousands of vials of a steroid pain medication that caused fungal meningitis that has so far killed 48 individuals and infected more than 700 more, reported CBS News.
Pelley's report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, March 10 at 7 p.m.
The Framingham pharmacy has closed, surrendered its license, and recalled its products.
The embattled specialty pharmacy filed paperwork with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston listing assets of $1.259 million and liabilities of $885,514.
According to court documents, the family members, who served as the New England Compounding Center's directors paid themselves more than $16 million with the largest payout to the the specialty pharmacy's majority shareholder, Carla Conigliaro - $8.7 million. Barry Cadden, the company's chief pharmacist, received about $3.2 million in 2012, filings show.
A federal judge has ruled any criminal case against a Framingham specialty pharmacy New England Compounding Center (NECC) would have priority over the numerous civil suits.
New England Compounding Center (NECC) recalled more than 17,000 steroids in September indicating they may contain a fungus. Later, NECC recalled every product made and laid off all employees.
Later, CDC and FDA officials confirmed a fungus was found in those recalled steroids and recently, fungus and bacteria were found in other NECC products.
The FDA released a list of customers, who received products from NECC in Framingham on or after May 21.
***
Click here to find all of Framingham Patch’s coverage of NECC and the meningitis outbreak.
mark z
11:10 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
You can read more about the inspection Order here:
http://www.slideshare.net/upload?from_source=loggedin_newsfeed