With compounding pharmacies coming under scrutiny as a result of the recent meningitis outbreak, a Dallas compounding pharmacy whose mislabeled medications caused the deaths of three people in Washington State is coming to light. The pharmacy, called ApotheCure, mixed an injectable painkiller that was 640% stronger than prescribed.
Not only was the drug far stronger than it should have been, it was also being marketed for off-label purposes. The FDA has only approved the medicine for the treatment of gout, but the pharmacy was formulating it for the treatment of neck and back pain.
Normally, these compounding pharmacies are only regulated on a state level, and not by the FDA. In this particular case however, the inaccurate labeling was a federal offense, therefore the pharmacy’s owner pled guilty on misdemeanor charges.
For more information, go to: https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=2298.