Massachusetts Closes Three Pharmacies, Appoints New Members in Board of Health
Three compounding companies have been issued cease and desist notice by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Thursday.
Health officials have been checking compounding pharmacies since last month after the tainted steroid from New England Compounding Center was linked to the deadly meningitis outbreak.
The three companies that were issued notices were Oncomed Pharmaceuticals, Pallimed Solutions, and The Whittier Pharmacist.
Oncomed Pharmaceuticals was shut temporarily on November 21 over the way the company stored drugs. Pallimed Solutions was partially shut after the health officials found that the company made a drug with improper components, while The Whittier Pharmacist was partially closed after officials found that the company didn't make drugs in sterile conditions.
The Department of Health also announced that three new members will be filling seats on the Board of Pharmacy.
"These respected health care professionals will use their experience to bring change to the Board of Pharmacy to enhance our oversight of this industry. We expect additional changes to the Board after the Commission on Pharmacy Compounding issues its recommendations to Governor Patrick at the end of the month," said Interim Commissioner Dr. Lauren Smith.
This week, Board of Pharmacy held an emergency meeting to draft regulations that would enhance the ways compounding pharmacies are being monitored now.
"These regulations greatly advance our ability to monitor the sterile compounding industry. These new tools stem from lessons learned during the meningitis outbreak and will help us ensure that something like this never happens again," said Interim Commissioner Smith in a statement.
According to the new regulations, the compounding pharmacies in Massachusetts need to report, for the first time, volume and distribution figures to the state. Other regulations include say that all the compounding pharmacies in the state must notify the Board if they have been issued any notices from any federal agencies.
541 cases of meningitis have been reported in the U.S. and 36 people have died due to the infection, according to latest CDC update.
