know the difference between a safe online pharmacy and an unsafe one. consumers should be wary of any pharmacy that allows you to buy without a prescription. that since spam or unsolicited e-mails offering deep discounts. that ships prescriptions worldwide or from a foreign country, or is located outside the united states. on the other hand, a safe online pharmacy will require a prescription from your doctor or other health care professionals and will be located and licensed in the united states. we want the american people to know the risks, to know the signs and to know their online pharmacy before they buy, and be safe rx will really help we hope with all three. my closing comment is for my fellow physicians. health professionals can play a very important role in making sure their patients are not purchasing unsafe medicines online. if the medicine doesn't seem to be having the desired effect, ask your patient what he or she actually obtained the prescription. and when you talk to your patient, take a few minutes to warn them about potential dangers

. >> plus more medication from the pharmacy may be tainted. what's even more disturbing is we've learned manufacturing at the new england compounding center was questioned before. today i sat down with pain management specialist who shared a dc panel on this outbreak. he says the sterility of the same steroid for back pain was called in six years ago. >> reporter: fda was in this lab or pharmacy 2006 and they found they had a problem in 2006. that's six years ago. so where was the follow-up with respect to them. >> any change in your opinion? >> i think it does. we need better oversite. the law on the books just like anything, they're there. they just need enforcement. now, whether it's you need more manpower to enforce or whatever the case may be, more laws, i don't know, necessarily help if you don't enforce them. >> so exactly how this happened, that is what has gotten the questions going here. how did it happen. and here is the deal, derek, as far as how this pharmacy was shipping so much. the higher value pharmacies, they're the one under

this lady was appointed to the state pharmacy board back in 2008. we asked them about that, they say she has recused herself from the matter. 8,000 drug orders were placed with them by drug agencies since 2007. together, both these companies produce hundreds of thousands of medication doses. now, both have shut down their operations. and the massachusetts department of health didn't say there was any direct evidence of contamination when it comes to products for ameridose, but one thing they expose was the incredible lack of oversight for the compound pharmacies, which can put the public at incredible risk, as we've seen here. we're going to continue to try to push the fda and pharmacies to try to get you some answers. >>> and as you know, there is barely three weeks left to the presidential election, i'll be watching, as well as you, about what mitt romney says about his health care plan. he says he wants to repeal obama care, but also has popular ideas such as this. >> and as regard to health care, you had remarkable details with regard to my plan

it's a pharmacy like the one on the corner but you're saying it's more of an industrial pharmacy with quite a long reach. what kind of discussion is there in your world about who could do more, who might be better to oversee it, what could the fda do, even under current law? >> there's a little history here. in 2002, the supreme court actually struck down a law that gave the fda some authority in this area. it's the thompson verse he is western states medical center case. the supreme court said on first amendment grounds that compounding pharmacies have the right to advertise their services, and the f.d.a. had taken the opposite position based on legislation from congress in the 1990s. congress held some hearings in 2003 but really nothing ever came of those hearings. so we have a situation in which the fda used to have more clear authority but it was taken away by the supreme court. >> brown: you're expecting this case to have some kind of impact on all of that? >> i would think that people in congress would be taking a careful look at whether or not these types of industrial-scale c

of the roughly 3,000 pharmacies making injectable drugs, igighter's pharmacy is one of only 162 with that type of accreditation. the massachusetts pharmacy which supplied the tainted steroids oes not have it. leighter also takes an extra step. everything he makes is sent out for independent testing before he sells it. he's never had a problem. still, he's always on alert. >> you know, there's no guarantee that something's -- a mistake isn't going to happen std it's just that that kind of hangs over me. it's a lot of stress. >> reporter: scott, we contacted thecials in the 23 states where the drug was shipped and we estimate that at least 5,000 people could have gotten the injected drug. >> pelley: jon, thank you very much. a historic ship that was lost in a flood has been recovered in a drought. the u.s.s. "inaugural" is peeking out of the mississippi in st. louis. it was a mine sweeper during ii ad war ii and was turned into lofloating museum. in 1993, it sank but with the theissippi drying up, it can be seen again. the world's best swimmer changes course. michael phelps plays golf.

caller: pharmacy by definition, compounding pharmacy and pharmacists really makes up and many of the people in a compounding facility are pharmacists. i would be interested if all the staff are actually pharmacists. it's always the weakest link, one person make a mistake. guest: pretty much any pharmacy does some sort of compounding. in retail settings you'll see oral products being compounding. in a hospital setting there is a significant level of compounding that occurs and it is very critical in terms of being able to provide patient care. and then there is this other outsource kpts that specialize in it. in any operation where compounding is occurring pharmacists are involved. it is a state law requirement. in many instances we also have pharmacy technicians who are engaged in this and certainly the level of training and expertise of that staff is key to this. and a.s.h.p. is another organization where we're looking that technicians should be certified at the state level. and again, i think you're right, it's really key that the personnel who are involved in these activities are

all this is bringing new scrutiny to a specialized part of the pharmacy industry. we get more from nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers. >> she was the type of person that everyone loved. she was dynamic, she was loving. >> reporter: george carol's wife was getting what she thought was a routine steroid injection for back pain and it killed her. it turns out the company that compounded the drug -- in 2002 and 2003, the f -- in 2004 a man died from a contaminated injection, necc settled the lawsuit. in 2006, the fda issued a warning left for necc to stop marketing the cream. they produced thousands of doses of the steroid. >> when was the last time either the food and drug administration or the massachusetts board of pharmacy were visiting this business and looking carefully at what they were doing. we already know that they had had a history of problems, was anyone following up with that? >> reporter: this is by no means the first time safety concerns have been raised about these specialized compounding pharmacies. since 2004, the fda has issued 49 w

pharmacy is shutting down.onathan serrie is live from the home of the centers for disease control in atlanta. what do we know about this second pharmacy, jonathan? >> reporter: hi, jon. well, it's called ameridose, it also is located in the state of massachusetts. it has agreed to shut down to allow state and federal authorities in to inspect its operations, although it is a separate entity, it shares the same owners as the new england compounding center, the pharmacy that formulated the injectable back pain medication suspected in this meningitis outbreak. ameridose released a written statement saying, quote: this action was taken proactively and cooperatively with the board of registration of pharmacy out of an abundance of caution to insure the safety of all ameridose products. the company goes on to say that there is no indication of any contamination in any ameridose product and no reason that doctors should stop using them. now, in massachusetts these compounding pharmacies are largely regulated by indivi

officials say the pharmacy linked to that deadly outbreak of meningitis was operating illegally. dr. jon lapook has the latest. and elaine quijano on a debt america can never fully repay. owed to this hometown hero. >> this is awesome. okay? ( cheers ) yeah. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. tonight's face-off between vice president joe biden and congressman paul ryan is getting a lot more attention than vice presidential debates usually get. the obama campaign is looking to biden to stop the momentum mitt romney has enjoyed since the debate in denver, which governor romney was widely perceived to have won. ryan's job is to keep romney's momentum rolling. today's national gallup poll of likely voters shows governor romney with a slender lead of one point over the president. of course, that's within the margin of error so it's essentially a tie. tonight's debate isality centre college in danville, kentucky. nancy cordes and jan crawford are there. first we'll go to nancy, covering the vice president's campaign. n

, the compounding pharmacy is that is the source of the bad medicine. our report tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: family and friends said good-bye this week to 80-year-old reba temple, who received a steroid injection for back pain. she died saturday. according to the cdc she is one of 14 who died from the tainted medicine, made at the new england compound center in massachusetts, which shares a location with the recycling and management waste company. another pharmacy, ameridose, which shares the same owner, has also suspended operations. >> our joint investigation will continue until we have all the answers and information we need to determine the statutory or what regulatory changes need to be made. >> reporter: they make compounds for patients. the pharmacists can take the raw ingredients in the drug and make it into a liquid for somebody who can't swallow it, or make it flavored for children. the sources estimate there are 7500 advance compounding pharmacies in the united states, with 3,000 of those providing what is called sterile com

government health officials acknowledge there's a regulatory gap when it comes compounding pharmacies. for instance massachusetts does not have the authority to track how many vials of a drug are produced. at the federal level the food and drug administration does not have clear authority to examine records in a compounding pharmacy. fda is seeking more authority. this pharmacist served on a package creating federal regulations for the compounding pharmacy industry. >> who is minding the store in terms of regulation? >> the fda has worked very hard over the last several years to try to promulgate regulations, to clearly define when does a compounding pharmacy exceed its pharmacy and become a manufacturer under the purview of the fda. >> the cdc found so far the main fungus responsible is an organism that has never been found to cause meningitis before and a panel of infectious disease experts has been called in how to figure out how to diagnose it and treat it. >>> lawyers for the suspect in the colorado movie theater shooting want a preliminary hearing in the case postponed until nex

the southern united states they don't have more than one pharmacy or two pharmacies so if the da comes in and shuts down an entire c.v.s. pharmacy you know i mean you're looking at an entire town saying they can't get prescriptions filled for anything now you're saying a lot of people who are not abusing the system exactly end up getting the ins and we know the answer there's a small number of people who are abusing the system in terms of what they're doing with doctors what they're doing with pharmacies the number of people who may be abusing the drugs themselves is larger obviously than the people who are sort of working the system but if you have one hundred over to assess in sarasota county that doesn't mean a hundred people were doctor shopping it could mean five people were doctor shopping right but it ends up it could end up exposing hundreds or thousands of innocent patients to totally unwarranted you know government surveillance of their medical records which may you know i don't and there's this idea if you're not doing anything wrong what do you have to hide well it's not it

plus with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as low as $2 at thousands of pharmaciestail locations like these, all across the country. call now to learn more. unitedhealthcare has the information you need so you'll be better prepared when making medicare decisions. maybe you'd just like help paying for your prescriptions. consider a part d prescription drug plan. it may help reduce the cost of your prescription drugs. with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare has been helping people live healthier lives. remember, open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. we can help. call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. call now. ♪ >>trace: the defense secretary panetta sound add new alarm over growing attacks, sigh enattacks, on the united states because they could be as destructive as the terrorist attack of 9/11. it is not the first time secretary panetta has warned the united states means to do more to protect against the threat. but he did reveal new examples of how enemy hackers have targeted civil or critical infrast

. >> reporter: the pharmacy the at the center of the meningitis out brach has announced voluntary recallof every product -- it makes saying this action is being taken out of abundance of caution. one of those sickened was janet russell of nashville. >> everybody is going through the same thing it is hard. to see your mother itch >> reporter: it began with a contaminated shipment of steroids from the new england compound center the steroids injected into the spine to reduce back pain were contaminated with a fungus that goes from the spinal fluid to the brain causing a rare form of meningitis. >> this has more than doubled since friday these were injections people got for back pain. now they have to worry about meningitis. >> reporter: the company is one of thousands of compound pharmacies that mix their own medicines. the idea, to let some taylor make drugs for people who need special blends. it is not the first problem. nine patients died last year in alabama, after receiving a feeding solution made by a come found pharmacy contaminated with bacteria. former fda offici says the industry

with 23 dead, officials lay out alleged violations by the pharmacy blamed for tainted drugs. dr. jon lapook has the late- breaking story. sharyl attkisson has obtained e- on has obtainednight of the e-mails from the night of the attack on the u.s. ambassador in benghazi. what the obama administration knew and did not know. now it's a two-week sprint to a date wit >> our campaign is full speed ahead. >> i won't be running the okey- doke. >> pelley: reports from nancy cordes, jan crawford and debate moderator bob schieffer. and bill whitaker in los angeles with a program bringing kids from the chaos of the streets into harmony with the world. >> music is like my meditation. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. investigators say they could see with their naked eyes black specks of deadly fungus floating in viles of steroids due to be injected into patients across the country. late today authorities said a criminal investigation would be opened and they would move to revoke the license of new england compounding center

now, newly released records raise questions about the pharmacy at the center of it all. tonight, did regulators cut this company a break. plus, a little girl home alone when criminals break into her house. >> are they on the front porch now. >> no. they are in my house. i don't know how they got. in i locked the door. >> tonight, her desperate call for help and what happened when deputies arrived. >> shepard: but first from fox this tuesday night, two weeks until election day, and tonight the candidates are storming the battleground states and making their closing arguments to the voters. a new poll shows governor mitt romney jumping aed ahead of president obama for the first time since the conventions. the governor halls a new 1 point lead in the new "the washington post" tracking poll that's a sta tis it particular call tie. itunder scores president obama's challenge. it's the lowest approval rating for the president since late last month. and that survey was done before the final debate. today, the president and governor romney picked um where they left off last night

had illicit online pharmacy links associated with them.st to just show pictures to give you an idea how this happened. this is a facebook site and its a canadian pharmacy with the department of health and human services logo displayed. they are advertising the prescription drugs online. this is a twitter post that offers without a prescription and this is another online pharmacy with social media links embedded within it so you can find the site, etc.. we've also done some additional searches looking at the sort of methodology of the web as far as how it is concerned and how much and what medicines are available online. we found the fda shortage drugs on a line as well as public health risk in that if they are in a shortage they shouldn't be available online and at the low prices that we saw. in addition we found that vaccines are online and that's a clear public health issue because a lot of these products have to be shipped in storage and if you are getting the vaccine in the mail, you are probably self injecting it without a commission

, unannounced inspections of compounding pharmacies that prepare sterile injectable medications such as those directly linked to the outbreak. these pharmacies will be inspected at least annually and more frequently in the case of a substantiated complaint. >> the new england compounding center says it is cooperating with investigators. but meanwhile more than 300 people have become ill and 23 people have died. >>> today i'm one on one with dr. alex. she's the owner of the aesthetic dental spa in mclean. when i was a child, i remember fondly halloween, goal up and down the streets with a pillow case collecting lots and lots and lots of candy and then trying to eat all of it in one night. dr. alex says it can be fun for kids but it can also be terrible for their parents when they have to pay that dental bill. she's brought all this candy and i'm ready to start on it. >> for sure. you can have it so long as you follow a few simple rules. >> what are the tips? >> you want to make sure you have all the candy in one sitting. it's better to have it in one sitting than all day long througho

was it at a middleman pharmacy or compounded? you are not going to get it from touching someone who has this or even exposed. most of the 13,000 people who got the shots are probably not going to get sick. we have to track them and the cdc.gov is going out and following them for several weeks to make sure they don't get sick. >> we can't necessarily trust the cdc.gov or state health department will contact people received the tainted vials. people should contact their doctor. >> correct. >> it is important people too panic especially those that got it from a pharmacy. >> if he received it from the tainted pharmacy, i am familiar with the case of a young woman who actually did she is in the hospital very, very sick. what do you suggest families do? >> if someone gets the shot and gets symptoms of meningitis they should probably be treated. what symptoms? headache, nausea, fever, lethargic, lose your energy, lose your balance. bright lights bother you. these are the classic symptoms. you may not have all of them or any of them but

necc co-owner told the state pharmacy board in 2004 that his company would abide by the law. quote, that each and every compounded medication shall be filled based on a valid prescription written by a qualified patient. there was a joint inspection of the facility in 2004. sheldon bradshaw of the agency's chief counsel. >> the fda would go back in and re-inspect. here the fda relied on their word they had corrected the problems. >> reporter: in 2006 necc pledged to upgrade its quality assurance procedures as part of a legal agreement with the state. we called new england compounding center after the charges and respond by saying the state health board quote had numerous opportunities including as recently as last summer to make firsthand observations of the necc facilities and operations. it's hard to imagine that the board has not been fully apprised of both the manner and scale of the company's operations. >> up next on a wednesday tropical storm sandy picks up speed threatening the caribbean and apple ups the ante in the tablet war. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her lon

to add them to the stock and his pharmacy. so we reset your law enforcement counterparts in the european country where the wholesaler that was selling these medicines to the pharmacist was located. in partnering with those authorities were able to uncover quite a bit more information about sales that this wholesaler was making to this pharmacist, where in europe they were meeting for sending these medications do, and this country also even hosted the case agents on a trip so that further investigation could be conducted. so that's one case involving the cooperation of three different countries. it may never have been found out if nhra had not been talking to this other southwestern european country and suggested they contact my agency, oci. and the case would never have aggress without the willing assistance of the third european country where the wholesaler was located. so i know you're going to ask me later what happened in the case, but the outcome of the case has yet to be determined so that's what i can give out a lot of

she says look, the compounding pharmacies make a lot of money.he said the international academy of compounding pharmacists gave money to elected officials and in fact, we checked with the center for responsive politics and they said that this group of compounding pharmacists gave more than $1 million to elected officials over the past ten years. i contacted that group, anderson, and they said look, we want these guidelines as much or even more than anyone else and we have been trying to get them for years and we're frustrated, too, that they're not out yet. >> i'm sure some of the people have had these injections would like these things more than anyone else. sanjay, these compounding pharmacies, it's not like they're mom and pop shops. i guess like they used to be. there are some 3,000 in the u.s. that are producing really large quantities of these custom drugs. i just find it amazing that the fda doesn't have any authority over them. what's their response to all this? >> well, you know, they'll say look, these are medications that are made by p

she was also appointed to the state pharmacy board back in 2008. we asked them about that and they say she's recused herself of all matters relating to ameridose and mecc. both businesses have done business with the united states government. more than 800,000 drug orders were placed by government agencies since 2007. together they produce hundreds of thousands of medication doses and now both have shut down their operations. the massachusetts didn't of health says there isn't any direct relationship to it but the one thing it exposes is the incredible lack of oversight of compound pharmacies which can put the public at unnecessary risk as we saw here. we're going to continue to push the state department and fda to try to get you some answers. >> as you know, there's barely three weeks left to the presidential election. the next debate will be tuesday night. i'll be watching. i'm sure you will as well. i want to hear what mitt romney says about his hello health care plan. he wants to keep some ideas. >> you obviously studied up on my plan. in fact,

the maufas -- vast majority of pharmacies are playing by the rules. as it stands now, -- there is some question as to a to this camp -- th more than half of the 56,000 pharmacies are compounding. >> the orioles have tied it 1-1. the energy is unbelievable. pete gilbert is in new york were the team has arrived. he has this report. >> they had some trouble troubles but it is a minor bump on the road after earning the split. they can win two out of three games. it is attainable. it is something they have done three times this year. they took two of them and that is why all the they did not want to admit it, came to is a must win. >> we do a good job of not letting that affect the way we play and it does not make us hasn't -- has a tent. -- hesitant. miguel gonzales got the best of coroda. >> some fans are scrambling to buy tickets to one of the next three games. what is that trip going to cost you? if you take a plane, tickets are $450. if that is steve you can go bucks. bus, 40 bah train is $125.10 way. if you spend the night, be prepared to spend 84 to