Thursday, December 20, 2012

NECC and Ameridose Closures Intensify Drug Shortages


 Topics: Compounding and Patient Safety
Hospitals and medical centers that relied upon the NECC and its sister company, Ameridose LLC, are suffering shortages of antibiotics, pain medications, and other drugs, reports the American Medical Association. Ameridose and NECC halted operations in October after they were linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 590 cases of fungal meningitis, including 37 deaths. Since the closures, health facilities have struggled to find medications, with many boosting their own pharmacies to reconstitute, package, and administer the drugs.
The shortages come at a time when many drugs were already in limited supply. According to FDA, six of the products that were supplied by Ameridose were already on the agency’s critical shortage listbefore the company ceased operations. These products include:
  • Sodium bicarbonate injection
  • Succinylcholine injection
  • Atropine sulfate injection
  • Bupivacaine hydrochloride injection
  • Lidocaine hydrochloride injection
  • Furosemide injection

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