Mass. governor seeks tighter rules on compounding pharmacies
Source: Reuters
Mass. governor seeks tighter rules on compounding pharmacies
Fri, 4 Jan 2013 19:41 GMT
Source: reuters // Reuters
* Proposal aims to keep up with changes in industry-Gov.
* Would require special licenses for sterile compounding
By Scott Malone
BOSTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on Friday proposed new state rules to more closely regulate the type of pharmacy at the heart of a U.S. meningitis outbreak that has killed 39 people.
The proposed legislation would require special licenses for compounding pharmacies, allow the state Board of Pharmacy to fine companies that violate its rules and require out-of-state pharmacies that ship drugs to Massachusetts to be licensed by the state.
The aim is to more closely monitor companies that cross the line from mixing the raw materials of drugs for individual prescriptions and those that begin to operate more like large-scale manufacturers.
An injectible steroid produced by the Framingham, Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center (NECC) was linked to an outbreak of bacterial meningitis that has sickened 656 people in 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/mass-governor-seeks-tighter-rules-on-compounding-pharmacies
