New England Compounding Center
Ameridose
Ameridose was established to be a large manufacturer of prescription medications for use in hospitals. The original location of the company's plant was in Framingham, Massachusetts next to its sister-companies New England Compounding Center and Medical Sales Management. In 2009, they purchased and started operations at two new locations, 205 and 203 Flanders Road in nearby Westborough, Massachusetts, to accommodate the steady growth of the company. Ameridose would eventually employ over 1000 people and report annual revenues of 300 million.
NECC 2012 outbreak
The company became the center of a scandal resulting from a meningitis outbreak that started in September, 2012. NECC recalled more than 2,000 products after distributing 17,000 vials of methylprednisolone for injection contaminated with fungi to 23 states.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations dictate that compounding pharmacies like NECC combine, mix, or alter ingredients only to create specific drugs for individual patients. Massachusetts state regulators reported NECC was licensed only to prepare individual patient prescriptions. The company, however, shipped drugs to multiple states, and may have been operating outside of their legal boundaries, authorities said. Doctors, hospitals, and clinics had turned to compounding pharmacies like NECC because they often charge much lower prices than the major manufacturers.
On December 21, 2012, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing less than $2.34 million in debts. Following the bankruptcy, a Reuters investigation into financial filings revealed company payments exceeding $33 million to the top executives and private equity investors in 2012.
References
- ^ Tavernise, Abby Goodnough, Sabrina; Pollack, Andrew (24 October 2012). "With Meningitis Outbreak, a Spotlight on Family Behind Compounding Pharmacy". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Shira Schoenberg (December 17, 2014). "Fourteen arrested, including owners, for meningitis outbreak tied to New England Compounding Center". The Republican. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
Those arrested include: Owner, president and head pharmacist Barry Cadden; owner and director Greg Conigliaro; national sales director Robert Ronzio; shareholder and director Carla Conigliaro; Conigliaro's husband Doug Conigliaro, who was president of Medical Sales Management, which provided sales and administrative services to New England Compounding Pharmacy; Pharmacists Glenn Chin, Gene Svirskiy, Christopher Leary, Joseph Evanosky, Alla Stepanets, Kathy Chin and Michelle Thomas; Pharmacy technician Scott Connolly; and Pharmacy technician and later director of operations Sharon Carter.
- ^ Laura Strickler (October 16, 2012). "Inside the New England Compounding Center". CBS News. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
The New England Compounding Center was founded by brothers-in-law Greg Conigliaro and Barry Cadden.[5] The owners are Carla R. Conigliaro, Barry J. Cadden, Lisa M. Conigliaro and Gregory A. Conigliaro., according to public records from the Secretary of Commonwealth.
- ^ "NECC sterility pharmacist arrested". The Tennessean.
- ^ Abby Goodnough, Sabrine Tavernise and Andrew Pollack (October 24, 2012). "Spotlight Put on Founders of Drug Firm in Outbreak". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
Since the national outbreak began in September, most of the scrutiny has been focused on two founders of New England Compounding, Gregory Conigliaro, an entrepreneur who has run a major recycling operation for two decades, and Mr. Cadden, the pharmacist who married Mr. Conigliaro's sister Lisa, also a pharmacist.
- ^ - Brian E. Dickerson, Anthony J. Calamunci, Nicole Hughes Waid, Amy L. Butler and Katy Wane (30 June 2017). "Pharmacist at Center of 2012 Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison". Fisher Broyles LLP. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Investors buying compounders: Drug shortages are persisting, leading to the deals, by Jaimy Lee, Modern Healthcare, January 13, 2013.
- ^ Barry Cadden, Gregory Conigliaro, Of New England Compounding Center, Had Background In Recycling, by Jay Lindsay, Associated Press, October 13, 2012.
- ^ "Scant Oversight of Drug Maker in Fatal Meningitis Outbreak", Denise Grady; Andrew Pollack; Sabrina Tavernisd, The New York Times, October 6, 2012
- ^ "New England Compounding Center, Pharmacy Linked To Meningitis Outbreak, Files For Bankruptcy". The Huffington Post. December 21, 2012.
- ^ Meningitis-linked pharmacy owners got millions: filing, by Tim McGlaughlin, Reuters, January 22, 2013.