U.S. officials have arrested a senior pharmacist of the company linked to a 2012 outbreak of fungal meningitis that was blamed for 64 deaths.
Officials say Glenn Adam Chin, a former supervisory pharmacist at a Boston-area facility, did not properly sterilize or test equipment, and concealed the unsafe practices.
Chin has been charged with mail fraud in connection with shipping 17,000 tainted vials that were sent to more than 76 facilities in 23 U.S. states.
About 750 people in 20 states contracted infections after receiving injections of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate, produced by Chin's employer. It was the worst meningitis outbreak in U.S. history.
Chin was arrested Thursday at Boston's international airport. Authorities say the criminal investigation of Chin and others associated with the outbreak is ongoing, but federal prosecutors decided to charge and arrest Chin after learning he was planning to leave the country.
Chin's defense attorney said he had no intention of fleeing the country and was merely traveling to Hong Kong with his family to attend a wedding.
