One more patient injected with a steroid medicine mixed by a Tennessee compounding pharmacy has been sickened, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday, bringing the number of illnesses reported thus far to 25.
All those sickened thus far in the outbreak, which was announced May 24, have been in Illinois, North Carolina, Florida and Arkansas.
The medicine, methylprednisolone acetate, is the same drug linked to the ongoing fungal meningitis outbreak that was announced last October, but Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center mixed that medicine.
Medicine from Main Street Family Pharmacy in Newbern has been linked to the more recent outbreak, which so far has resulted in less serious illnesses such as injection site infections. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said fungal and bacterial contaminants had been detected in unopened vials of the drug made by the Newbern pharmacy.
The fungal meningitis outbreak linked to drugs made by New England Compounding Center has had deadly consequences. It has sickened 745 people in the United States, with 58 deaths.
Methylprednisolone acetate often is used as a treatment for chronic pain in the spine and joints.
Contact Tom Wilemon at twilemon@tennessean.com or 615-726-5961.
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