Meningitis Outbreak Update

The meningitis outbreak is renewing scrutiny on Medicare's compounding drugs policies. 

Medicare has flagged compounded drugs, produced without federal oversight, as safety risks. It even revoked coverage five years ago of a compounded drug used to treat lung disease. But Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) suggested Medicare hasn't done so consistently. 

He wants to know how often the agency denies payments for compounded drugs. The meningitis outbreak has been linked to a compounded steroid produced at a Massachusetts pharmacy.