HomeMy WebLinkAboutDear Patient Letter Dear Patient:
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) are currently
investigating infections related to contaminated medications which were produced at New
England Compounding Center of Framingham, Massachusetts (NECC). The contaminated
medications have been linked to a nationwide outbreak of meningitis, a serious health condition.
They were recalled across the United States on September 25, 2012.
No medications linked to the outbreak were shipped to Massachusetts healthcare providers, and
no cases of meningitis or other infections definitely linked to NECC products have been identified
in Massachusetts.
Strictly as a precaution, all other NECC medications were recalled across the country on October
6, 2012. These products were used in clinics,hospitals and doctor's offices to treat patients for
various conditions, including back pain,joint pain and eye problems.
On October 15, 2012, the FDA advised healthcare providers to contact patients who may have
been treated with any NECC medications---even those medications which have not been linked in
any way to the outbreak. The goal is to give patients this information, so you can call your health
care provider if you think you may be sick, All of this is being done strictly as a precaution.
You are receiving this letter because you may have received one of the NECC medications which
were part of the October 6 precautionary recall. However, the medication you received has not
been linked to the outbreak.
However, if you are having symptoms that worry you or are unexplained or worsening, then you
should contact your healthcare provider for further advice.
Symptoms to watch out for include:
• fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion, being bothered by bright light (if you had a spine
injection);
• painful, swollen or inflamed (warm and red)joints (if you had a joint injection);
• red,painful eyes with or without drainage or blurry vision(if you had eye surgery); or
• swelling, redness, pain or drainage from a surgical wound or other skin site (if you had
another kind of surgery).
If you have these symptoms, and they are not the result of some other known problem, then
contact your healthcare provider for further advice.
For more information on the national outbreak related to NECC products shipped to other states,
go to the CDC web page at: littp://www.cdc.gov/1IAI/outbreaks/meniligitis.litml
For more information on the NECC product recalls, go to the FDA web site at:
littr)://www,f(ta.gov/f)i'Lig,s/Drti�Safety/tielii.322734.htiii