By Bill Berkrot
Oct 22 (Reuters) - The extended shutdown of a sister company of the pharmacy at the center of the deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak may exacerbate drug shortages for some hospitals and healthcare providers as the number of infection cases neared 300, U.S. health regulators said.
Ameridose, a drug manufacturer owned by the same people who own New England Compounding Center (NECC), has been closed since Oct. 10 and will remain shuttered until Nov. 5, while authorities complete an inspection of the plant as a precautionary measure - at least temporarily cutting off supplies to its customers.
NECC shipped thousands of potentially contaminated vials of a steroid used for injections to treat severe back pain. Some 14,000 patients may have been exposed to the medici http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/22/usa-health-meningitis-shortages-idUSL1E8LMK7N20121022?rpc=401