Clinical Notes: Fungus Found in Steroids

Fungus, Bacteria Found in Compounded Steroids

Unopened vials of supposedly sterile methylprednisolone acetate, prepared by a Tennessee compounding pharmacy at the center of a federal investigation, contained both fungi and bacteria, the FDA said Friday.

FDA scientists cultured fungal and bacterial microbes from two vials of the injectable steroid from Main Street Family Pharmacy in Newbern, Tenn., each from different lots. The agency said its staff was working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify the specific species.

Clinical Notes: NIH Scales Back on Using Chimps

NIH Further Restricts Chimp Research

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, said the agency would put an end to most use of chimpanzees in medical research, tightening restrictions put in place in 2011.

Henceforth, NIH-funded research on chimpanzees can only be performed on a non-breeding group of 50, Collins announced last week, signalling an eventual end to all such research. Other chimps in NIH-sponsored facilities will be moved into federal sanctuaries.