NECC Exec, Pharmacist Goes to Trial Over 2012 Meningitis Outbreak That Killed 64

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The head pharmacist and co-founder of a Framingham drug company tied to 2012's deadly national meningitis outbreak is on trial this week, charged on 25 counts of second-degree murder, for which prosecutors argue he is directly responsible.

Federal authorities say the now-shuttered New England Compounding Center is behind the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 64 and injured another 750 people in 20 states. Shareholders, employees and executives have been accused of using expired ingredients and failing to follow safety standards, tainting NECC-made steroid injections used for pain management.

Employees didn't test some drugs for sterility and failed to wait for tests to return before shipping out other prescriptions, the U.S. Justice Department alleged in a lengthy 2014 indictment. NECC also ignored mold and bacteria detected in its rooms, and shielded its operations from oversight while dispensing drugs in bulk without valid prescriptions, even using fictional and celebrity names for fake prescriptions, the DOJ further alleged.

"... these employees knew they were producing their medication in an unsafe manner and in insanitary conditions, and authorized it to be shipped out anyway, with fatal results,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time.

Co-founder, president and head pharmacist at the former NECC, Barry Cadden, this week faces 25 second-degree murder charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. These charges relate to patients who received the alleged tainted drugs from NECC and died in Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, the Justice Department release said.

Prosecutors argue that Cadden, along with supervisory pharmacist Glenn Chin, were aware of the potentially fatal consequences of doctors injecting patients with the unsterilized version of steroid.

Cadden, of Wrentham, faces additional charges as part of what the DOJ calls a "broad racketeering scheme." Those include but aren't limited to fraud and conspiracy.

WBUR reports Cadden pleaded not guilty and has been free on bail since his arraignment in 2014.

His defense argued Monday that total blame could not be placed upon Cadden's shoulders, despite instances of "human error" at NECC, the station reports.

Patch will update this story.

Read More:

• Luxury Car, Boat Seized From Former NECC Head Pharmacist
• Federal Agents Arrest Owners, 12 Others in Connection to Deadly Meningitis Linked to NECC
• Pharmacy Director Subpoenaed in Meningitis Outbreak Investigation
• NECC Owner Cadden Takes The Fifth at Hearing
• $100 Million Settlement Reached For Meningitis Victims
• CDC, FDA Confirm Meningitis Fungus Found at NECC

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