Roper St. Francis Unaffected by Steroid Recall

In recent weeks more than 17,000 doses of steroid methylprednisolone acetate have been recalled by a New England pharmacy after it was linked to an outbreak of fungal meningitis.

"Roper St. Francis Healthcare (RSFH) has not received or used the steroid methylprednisolone acetate, which has been linked to a recent outbreak of fungal meningitis," a hospital statement issued Monday read. "After a precautionary internal review, no RSFH patients have been put at risk or impacted by the use of this steroid."

The outbreak has been tied to contaminated epidural steroid injections of methylprednisolone acetate produced and distributed by New England Compounding Center. Huffington Post reports The company has voluntarily recalled 17,676 single-dose vials of the steroid. Methylprednisone acetate is often used for back pain at some clinics. 

So far 91 people in nine states have been infected, and of those seven have died. Cases have been reported in Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. It is unclear exactly how many people may have received recalled doses of methylprednisolone acetate between July and September, though the number could reach into the thousands, according to Huffington Post reporting.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged doctors to not use any products from the New England Compounding Center, the specialty pharmacy that issued the infected steroid doses. The company says there is no indication that any other products have been contaminated though.