Rep. Ted Lieu Wants Hearing On Superbug Outbreak
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California congressman wants an investigation into what the Food and Drug Administration is doing to prevent additional superbug infections after a deadly outbreak at a Los Angeles hospital linked to contaminated medical scopes.
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu sent a letter Monday asking the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to hold a hearing. The committee oversees the FDA.
The FDA issued an alert last week after seven patients at the University of California, Los Angeles, became infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as CRE during endoscopic procedures. Two died.
UCLA says it properly cleaned the devices known as duodenoscopes.
The FDA has acknowledged that the scopes can be hard to clean but says pulling the devices off the market would prevent people from getting "life-saving" procedures.
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