FDA says panel to discuss 'superbug' spread

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said an advisory panel will discuss the transmission of "superbug" infections through certain procedures in U.S. hospitals. A second top Los Angeles hospital reported an outbreak of drug-resistant "superbug" infections last week, and dozens more potential exposures, from procedures performed with a fiber-optic instrument called duodenoscope. The gastroenterology and urology devices panel would meet on May 14-15, FDA said on Thursday. (http://1.usa.gov/1D9SY1q) A top FDA official said earlier this month that manufacturers' tests of procedures to clean medical scopes linked with "superbug" outbreaks contained flaws that render their cleaning instructions unreliable. Duodenoscopes have been associated with episodic infections for more than a decade. But an increasing number of germs have developed a resistance to antibiotics, making them potentially more dangerous and difficult to treat. The regulator issued an updated safety alert for duodenoscopes last week, urging medical providers to inform patients of the risks associated with the use of such instruments. Olympus Corp, Fujifilm Holdings Corp and Pentax Medical are among makers of the devices. (Reporting by Amrutha Penumudi and Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)