Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) and Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC) have not purchased or used the spinal injection drug methylprednisolone from the Massachusetts compounding pharmacy linked to the current outbreak of a rare form of meningitis. FMC and VVMC acquire methylprednisolone acetate from Pfizer Inc., which is approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) as an original manufacturer of methylprednisolone. The outbreak is only associated with methylprednisolone distributed by the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Mass. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), none of the methylprednisolone from NECC has been sent to Arizona.
On Oct. 5, FMC and VVMC proactively removed the pain medication Nalbuphine distributed by NECC from their pharmacies as a precautionary safety measure. This action was taken prior to the Oct. 6 voluntary recall of all drugs distributed by NECC.
If you have questions, contact your local healthcare provider. For more information on the recall efforts, visit the CDC Web site atcdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/