Atlanta Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss Recent Fungal Meningitis Outbreak and Georgia Laws

Oct. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Atlanta, GA – The meningitis outbreak caused by the contaminated steroid injections has raised many questions concerning the regulation of compounding pharmacies. Attorney Wayne Grant and the legal team at The Law Offices of Wayne Grant, P.C., are just as concerned over the issue and consider it prudent to take a look at Georgia’s own laws governing compounding pharmacies.

The Cause of the Outbreak
The multi-state fungal meningitis outbreak, which has affected over 300 people across the nation according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been attributed to contaminated steroids manufactured by the Massachusetts compounding pharmacy, New England Compounding Center (NECC). Although the purpose of compounding pharmacies are to produce small amounts of custom medications, as ordered by patients, NECC produced and distributed large batches of the steroid to healthcare facilities across the nation, including one in Macon, Georgia. There has been one reported case of meningitis in Georgia as of October 25, 2012.

The fact that NECC was able to distribute such large quantities of a contaminated drug has brought the state’s compounding pharmacy regulatory process into question, as the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have regulatory authority over compound pharmacies; and, naturally, other states are taking a look at their own laws.

Georgia’s Compound Pharmacy Laws
According to Georgia government officials, the state has strict rules regulating compound medications and is recognized as one of the strictest states in the nation when it comes to compound pharmacy regulations. In Georgia, compound pharmacies are licensed and regulated by the state and are not allowed to make “batches” of medications, but individual prescriptions based on each patient’s needs. While compounding pharmacies in Georgia may not be a health issue, others in the nation apparently are.

Holding Negligent Drug Manufacturers Responsible
The experienced Atlanta product liability lawyers at The Law Offices of Wayne Grant, P.C., are committed to protect the rights of people who have been harmed by the negligence of drug companies and other product manufacturers. By obtaining just compensation, victims of unsafe drugs or defective products can get the medical care and support they need to recover from their injuries. To learn more about the law firm, please visit http://www.waynegrant.com/about-us.html.