Steroid Fungal Meningitis Cases Will Be Consolidated

By Grant Law Office on February 19, 2013

A federal judicial panel has officially ruled that dozens of cases involving nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak will be consolidated before a federal judge. According to a news report in The Tennessean, the U.S. Judicial Panel ruled in favor of consolidating the cases in Boston because the company blamed for the outbreak is located in Massachusetts. Officials hope that centralization will eliminate duplication of discovery. It is possible that this move to consolidate the cases could bring about a speedier resolution for the many suffering victims and their families. Once the initial discovery phase is complete, the cases may return to the states where the individual victims reside.

The meningitis-contaminated steroids produced by the New England Compounding Center (NECC) have been linked to 46 fatalities and 704 illnesses. This tragic fungal meningitis outbreak has affected individuals in 20 states, including Georgia. The pharmacy voluntarily recalled all of its products on October 6, 2012 and on October 31, 2012. Ameridose, LLC voluntarily recalled all of its unexpired products in circulation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a substantial proportion of patients who received this defective drug developed a localized infection at the site of injection. Many later developed fungal meningitis. In this case, federal officials who inspected the pharmacy found unacceptable conditions there including mold and unsanitary conditions in the area where the medications were being manufactured.

Anyone who has suffered serious side effects as a result of taking a defective or contaminated drug would be well advised to contact an experienced fungal meningitis steroid lawyer in Georgia with The Law Offices of Wayne Grant, P.C. who has fought in similar cases against pharmaceutical companies. Victims can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.