The New England Compounding Center (NECC) was allegedly responsible for sending tainted drugs across the country, and now 14 people have been arrested in the case. Most of the suspects were arrested by authorities in pre-dawn raids.
Federal prosecutors are charging defendants with 131 criminal counts, including racketeering, selling adulterated drugs, mail fraud, and criminal contempt. Two of the people arrested in the case are being charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of 25 people from eight states. Barry J. Cadden, owner and head pharmacist of NECC, and Glenn A. Chin, supervisory pharmacist at the company, were each charged with the deaths.
Federal officials describe conditions at the pharmacy as filthy, contaminated with potentially deadly microorganisms. Prosecutors contend the company placed profits over safety, leading to the deaths of at least 64 people around the nation who were provided with the medication.
More than 750 people in 20 states were affected by contamination, federal officials contend.
Methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) produced by the company was found to be responsible for fungal meningitis outbreaks in 751 people who received the contaminated vaccines. The drug is often used to treat severe back pain, through injections delivered into the spinal column. The outbreak initially confused health care professionals, who had never before encountered a fungal infection injected directly into spines.
"As alleged in the indictment, these employees knew they were producing their medication in an unsafe manner and in insanitary conditions, and authorized it to be shipped out anyway, with fatal results. With the indictment and these arrests, the Department of Justice is taking decisive action to hold these individuals accountable for their alleged participation in grievous wrongdoing," Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General, said.
Chin had faced an indictment for mail fraud, after being arraigned in a federal court in Boston during September 2014. He was arrested in that case at Logan Airport as he and his family were boarding a flight for a vacation in China.
Prosecutors charge NECC management mislead federal authorities for 25 years, claiming to be a compounding company, instead of a drug manufacturer, which would have resulted in greater scrutiny of the company's manufacturing practices.
The Justice Department is stating NECC produced numerous drugs under less-than-sanitary conditions, which could have led to a large number of complications in patients.
"[T]he highest priority of the Department is to protect the American people - and that means doing everything in our power to ensure that the food and drugs we put in our bodies - and in our children's bodies - are safe," General Joyce R. Branda, acting assistant attorney for the United States, said.
