First Lawsuit in Meningitis Outbreak

Minnesota woman sues pharmacy at center of tainted steroid problem

A Minnesota woman is the first person to sue the compounding pharmacy at the center of a fungal meningitis outbreak that has claimed 14 lives.

In a class action filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, Barbe Puro of Shakopee, Minn., claimed she developed symptoms of meningitis after receiving a spinal injection of methylprednisolone acetate tainted with fungus.

The drug, a steroid used to treat back and joint pain, was made by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass. Fifty sealed vials of the drug, obtained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, were found to contain fungus. The company has recalled all its products and shut down operations.