Trial Of Pharmacist Charged In Meningitis Outbreak Begins
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — A prosecutor says a pharmacist facing murder charges for his role in a deadly meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated steroid injections demonstrated a "shocking disregard" for human life.
Glenn Chin is charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy and other crimes under federal racketeering law. He was the supervisory pharmacist at the New England Compounding Center in Framingham.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George Varghese told jurors Tuesday that Glenn Chin instructed his staff to use expired ingredients, falsify documents and skip cleaning steps in order to get the drugs out the door as quickly as possible.
The 2012 meningitis outbreak that killed 76 people and sickened over 700 others was blamed on contaminated steroid injections made by the NECC.
Chin ran the rooms where the drugs were made. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of all counts of second-degree murder under federal racketeering law.
Chin's attorney was expected to deliver his opening statement later Tuesday. In the past, he has said he'll blame pharmacy co-founder, Barry Cadden.
Cadden was acquitted of second-degree murder but was convicted of conspiracy and fraud. He tearfully apologized to victims as he was sentenced in June to nine years in prison.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)