Two former New England Compounding Center pharmacists sentenced
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The former home of New England Compounding Center on Waverly Street in Framingham.
Two pharmacists convicted of approving shipments of false prescriptions at a now-closed Framingham compounding center, which killed dozens of patients, avoided jail time.
Michelle Thomas, 35, of Cumberland, R.I., was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns to one year of probation. Kathy Chin, 47, of Canton, received two years of probation.
The nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak at the New England Compounding Center in 2012 killed 64 and caused infections in 793 patients.
The pair, who worked at Framingham pharmacy, were convicted by a federal jury in May for dispensing drugs without valid prescriptions with the intent to defraud or mislead government regulators and customers, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.
Chin was convicted of approving drugs for patients with names such as Flash Gordon, Tom Brokaw, Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Dick Van Dyke, among others. Thomas was convicted of approving drugs for patients with names such as L.L. Bean, Filet O’Fish, Rug Doctor, Squeaky Wheel, Coco Puff, and Harry Potter.
Prosecutors argued they approved bulk orders of prescription drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead regulators. Specifically, the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued NECC took steps to shield its operations from regulatory oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by claiming to be a pharmacy dispensing drugs pursuant to valid, patient-specific prescriptions.
The jury heard evidence the fake prescriptions, along with numerous other bulk drug orders, approved by Chin and Thomas allowed NECC to operate as an unregulated drug manufacturer.
In 2017, Barry Cadden, the former owner and head pharmacist for NECC, was sentenced to nine years in prison for racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud, and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead.
Last year, Glenn Chin, NECC’s former supervisory pharmacist, was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of 77 counts.
In total, 13 NECC defendants have been convicted of 178 charges.
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