Compounding pharmacies are getting widespread attention in the midst of the fungal meningitis outbreak that has affected at least 170 patients and claimed 14 lives. The outbreak has been linked to methylprednisolone acetate injections distributed by the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Massachusetts.

Compounding pharmacies are not regulated by the FDA but rather “are subject to a patchwork of state oversight,” Reuters notes. A second compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts, Ameridose, temporarily closed pending an inspection by state officials. NECC and Ameridose share an owner.

In other outbreak-related news, the CDC says that 10 of the meningitis patients have tested positive for the fungus Exserohilum and 1 for Aspergillus.

In Tennessee, the hardest hit state, health officials estimate that 5% of patients who received the implicated injections from NECC have contracted meningitis.

Source: Wall Street Journal