FDA finds contaminants in drug linked to meningitis

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it found “greenish black foreign matter” and other contaminants in an injectable steroid produced by the New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy at the heart of a deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak.

It also found that vials from the same bin of the steroid contained what appeared to be a “white filamentous material,” according to the report released by the FDA following inspections of the facility in October.

Massachusetts health regulators said earlier this week that they had turned up evidence of problematic procedures, record-keeping and work conditions inside the pharmacy facility.

The pharmacy is being investigated for its role in the meningitis outbreak, which has killed 25 people and infected hundreds who received injections of its preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate, a steroid used for back pain and other conditions.

The FDA report also said that NECC’s environmental monitoring program found bacteria and mold in two “clean rooms” between January 2012 and September 2012. The rooms are used in the production of sterile drug products.

(Reporting By Toni Clarke and Caroline Humer; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Steve Orlofsky)

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Rock hall of fame in Cleveland honors Chuck Berry

CLEVELAND (AP) — Still rockin’ at 86, music legend Chuck Berry promised a comeback Saturday with six new songs, some written 16 years ago.

“And as soon as I can get someone to guide me — and I do know a little about the business — I want to push them out,” he told reporters at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which honored him with an award and tribute concert. “I’m going to come back and push them out if you know what I mean, somehow.”

Berry, a rock pioneer with early hits that included “Roll Over Beethoven,” ”Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode,” wouldn’t tip his hand in detail about the new songs or when they might be released.

“They might be old, but they are the same type of music that I have been playing,” he said.

The lineup for Saturday night’s tribute concert honoring Berry at the State Theater included Ernie Isley and Darryl DMC McDaniels, Joe Bonamassa, Rick Derringer, Rosie Flores, John Fullbright, David Johansen, Ronnie Hawkins, Steve Jordan and Merle Haggard.

Berry, who still performs monthly at a club in suburban St. Louis, offered some advice to the performers: “Keep rocking, keep rocking. That’s two words. Next word is: Be kind to your fans.”

To mark the American Music Masters award presentation, the rock hall has mounted a special exhibition with items including Berry’s stage clothes, a guitar and his 1958 Chess Records recording contract.

The rock hall’s new library and archives has a separate exhibit with items including Berry’s 1964 British tour program and a handbill promoting his appearance with the Grateful Dead in 1968.

Past American Music Masters program honorees include Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Woody Guthrie.

Berry, the museum’s first inductee in 1986, called the award and enshrinement in the rock hall a great honor. “You can’t get any higher in my profession than this building or this reason for this building,” he said.

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FDA finds contaminants in drug linked to meningitis

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it found “greenish black foreign matter” and other contaminants in an injectable steroid produced by the New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy at the heart of a deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak.

It also found that vials from the same bin of the steroid contained what appeared to be a “white filamentous material,” according to the report released by the FDA following inspections of the facility in October.

Massachusetts health regulators said earlier this week that they had turned up evidence of problematic procedures, record-keeping and work conditions inside the pharmacy facility.

The pharmacy is being investigated for its role in the meningitis outbreak, which has killed 25 people and infected hundreds who received injections of its preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate, a steroid used for back pain and other conditions.

The FDA report also said that NECC’s environmental monitoring program found bacteria and mold in two “clean rooms” between January 2012 and September 2012. The rooms are used in the production of sterile drug products.

(Reporting By Toni Clarke and Caroline Humer; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Steve Orlofsky)

Health News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Rock hall of fame in Cleveland honors Chuck Berry

CLEVELAND (AP) — Still rockin’ at 86, music legend Chuck Berry promised a comeback Saturday with six new songs, some written 16 years ago.

“And as soon as I can get someone to guide me — and I do know a little about the business — I want to push them out,” he told reporters at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which honored him with an award and tribute concert. “I’m going to come back and push them out if you know what I mean, somehow.”

Berry, a rock pioneer with early hits that included “Roll Over Beethoven,” ”Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode,” wouldn’t tip his hand in detail about the new songs or when they might be released.

“They might be old, but they are the same type of music that I have been playing,” he said.

The lineup for Saturday night’s tribute concert honoring Berry at the State Theater included Ernie Isley and Darryl DMC McDaniels, Joe Bonamassa, Rick Derringer, Rosie Flores, John Fullbright, David Johansen, Ronnie Hawkins, Steve Jordan and Merle Haggard.

Berry, who still performs monthly at a club in suburban St. Louis, offered some advice to the performers: “Keep rocking, keep rocking. That’s two words. Next word is: Be kind to your fans.”

To mark the American Music Masters award presentation, the rock hall has mounted a special exhibition with items including Berry’s stage clothes, a guitar and his 1958 Chess Records recording contract.

The rock hall’s new library and archives has a separate exhibit with items including Berry’s 1964 British tour program and a handbill promoting his appearance with the Grateful Dead in 1968.

Past American Music Masters program honorees include Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Woody Guthrie.

Berry, the museum’s first inductee in 1986, called the award and enshrinement in the rock hall a great honor. “You can’t get any higher in my profession than this building or this reason for this building,” he said.

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Obama administration looking at new tax cut: Washington Post

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration is considering a possible tax cut that would increase workers’ take-home salaries and replace the payroll tax reduction set to expire at the end of the year, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

Citing sources familiar with the administration‘s thinking, the newspaper said the new tax reduction could add hundreds of dollars to employees’ annual pay and show up in every paycheck.

The Post said the administration believed the economy could use further stimulus despite signs of improvement.

Obama is locked in a tight re-election battle with Republican challenger Mitt Romney in which the struggling economy is the main issue. Obama has proposed letting Bush-era tax cuts expire for the wealthy, but Romney has said tax increases would damage the economy.

The payroll tax first implemented in 2011 at Obama’s request was designed to help provide people an economic cushion, but critics have questioned relying on a measure that cuts funds from the Social Security retirement system.

The Post said the Obama administration wanted to match the benefits of the payroll tax reduction without tapping into Social Security revenues.

Regardless of the election outcome, the country faces a “fiscal cliff” of automatic across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases for the end of the year unless the White House and Congress can strike a deficit reduction deal.

Obama told the Des Monies Register on Tuesday that he was confident that if re-elected, he would secure within six months a deficit-reduction deal with Republicans equivalent to the “grand bargain” he failed to achieve last year.

The goal of such a deal would be to achieve $ 4 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years.

(Writing by Peter Cooney; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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