FDA: Mold, bacteria at pharmacy tied to outbreak

WASHINGTON -- Federal health inspectors say they found bacteria and mold growing in rooms that were supposed to be kept sterile at the pharmacy linked to a deadly outbreak of meningitis.

The Food and Drug Administration has released its initial report after investigating the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass., earlier this month.

Inspectors say they found green, yellow and red growths, water droplets and other potential contaminants in a room used to mix and seal specially formulated medicines.

Steroid injections made by the New England Compounding Center have been tied to an outbreak of fungal meningitis that has sickened 328 people across the U.S., causing 24 deaths. Last week FDA officials confirmed the black fungus found in company vials is the same as that which has sickened patients.