NECC Co-Founder Barry Cadden Sentenced For Meningitis Outbreak

WRENTHAM, MA – Barry Cadden, former president and co-founder of the Framingham-based New England Compounding Center, was sentenced to nine years in prison Monday for his role in the pharmacy's 2012 meningitis outbreak that resulted in the deaths of 64 people and sickened more than 700 others.

The Wrentham resident was convicted in March of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead. He was found not guilty of second degree murder and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The 2012 outbreak was the largest public health crisis caused by a pharmaceutical product, sickening 753 patients in 20 states and resulting in the deaths of 64 people. The patients were diagnosed with a fungal infection after receiving injections of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) manufactured by NECC.

Cadden faced close to 100 charges for his role in the outbreak, which included directing and authorizing the shipping of contaminated MPA to NECC customers nationwide, authorizing the shipping of drugs before test results confirming their sterility were returned, failing to notify customers of non-sterile results and compounding drugs with expired ingredients, authorities said.

Furthermore, certain batches of drugs were manufactured, in part, by an unlicensed pharmacy technician at NECC. Cadden also repeatedly took steps to shield NECC’s operations from regulatory oversight by the FDA by claiming to be a pharmacy dispensing drugs pursuant to valid, patient-specific prescriptions. In fact, NECC routinely dispensed drugs in bulk without valid prescriptions. NECC even used fictional and celebrity names on fake prescriptions to dispense drugs such as “Michael Jackson,” “Freddie Mae” and “Diana Ross,” according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

More than 20 survivors and family members of victims read impact statements at Cadden's sentencing. Many hoped he would get the maximum 35-year sentence sought by prosecutors, while Cadden's defense attorneys sought a sentence of three years in light of his being found not guilty of second degree murder.

In a statement read in court, Cadden apologized to the victims and said his culpability would "haunt him for the rest of his life."

Image Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne