DIANE SAWYER (ABC
NEWS)(OC): And back here at home, a very big drama today, about the meningitis
outbreak. The man who owns that drug factory, contaminated
by fungus, came to be grilled
on Capitol Hill. And in the same
room, the families of those who died, giving gripping
testimony, saying, it is a nightmare
that will not end. Here's ABC's David
Kerley.
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): The man whose company produced drugs that sickened and killed so
many…
REPORTER (FEMALE): Is
there anything that you can say to them?
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): ...ran a gauntlet of reporters.
REPORTER (FEMALE): Why
not?
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): He said nothing about his pharmacy that made drugs for debilitating back pain.
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): The conditions were deplorable - dirty floors, clean rooms with mold or bacterial
growth. The steroids produced here
infected Eddie Lovelace with meningitis and killed him.
JOYCE LOVELACE (WIFE
OF VICTIM): We're heartbroken. We're
devastated. And I've just come here
begging you to do something about the matter.
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): A question members of Congress put to that owner.
REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF
STEARNS (REP) (FLORIDA): What explanation can you give the families who have
lost their loved ones?
BARRY CADDEN (NECC): On advice
of council...
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): Five times, Barry Cadden took
the Fifth…
BARRY CADDEN (NECC): I respectfully
decline.
BARRY CADDEN (NECC): I
respectfully decline.
BARRY CADDEN (NECC): I
respectfully decline to answer on the basis of my constitutional rights and
privileges.
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): …refusing to answer any questions.
REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF
STEARNS (REP) (FLORIDA): Is it your position today that the FDA could not have
prevented this tragedy because you did not have jurisdiction? Is that what you're telling me today?
MARGARET HAMBURG
(COMMISSIONER OF FDA): Unfortunately, we have unclear, fragmented
legal regulatory framework.
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): So, what will happen to the owner?
He could face jail time.
DAVID KERLEY (ABC
NEWS)(VO): As for the 14,000 people injected with the drugs, they're being told
to be on the lookout
for a couple more months. But
finally, tomorrow marks six weeks since the recall, when most probably would
have shown symptoms
of the deadly side effect. David Kerley, ABC News, Washington.