Friday, February 8, 2013

Washington Post: The drug in fungal meningitis cases is hard to make and unusually dangerous when contaminated



The drug that has caused 696 fungal infections and 45 deaths over the last six months isn’t one you want sloppy amateurs making.
A long-lasting anti-inflammatory, it is difficult to manufacture in sterile form. Injected into joints or around the spine to relieve pain, it stays in the body for months. It has a bad side effect of suppressing defenses — a real problem if it’s contaminated. If the contaminant is a microscopic fungus, the drug feeds it like fertilizer.
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