BERMAN: The death toll in the meningitis outbreak is growing this morning. The CDC now saying 12 people are dead. At least 119 people are infected with cases now reported in ten states. But it turns out some experts have been sounding the alarm over contaminated medications for years, even within the FDA. Elizabeth Cohen joins us live now from Atlanta. And Elizabeth, you spoke to a former FDA employee. What is she saying?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: She is saying that she saw this coming. Sarah Sellers used to work for the FDA. She's a pharmacist. She testified on this issue to Congress in 2003, and she said she went to go work for the FDA, specifically, to help clean up compounding pharmacies. She's an expert in sterile compounding. This is these pharmacies in this current outbreak, the medicine was made at what's called the compounding pharmacies. There's been a lot of complaints about how they are and are not regulated. Anyhow, she went to go work at the FDA to write some guidance on how to do this compounding in a more sterile way. She says she never did it. They never had her do it. She wanted to do it, and she ended up leaving the FDA in frustration. She said that this was in 2006. That document was supposed to come out back then. It is still, to this day, John, as we speak, that document has never come out. That guidance from the FDA has never come out.</s>BERMAN: Why? I mean, what's taking so long here?</s>COHEN: Right. I asked that question, and the FDA said, it is, quote, "in progress" and they had no other comment. Now, if you ask Sarah Sellers, she'll tell you it's because there's money from compounding pharmacies pressing them not to do it. The compounding pharmacies say that's not true.</s>BERMAN: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you. A bit alarming as this meningitis outbreak continues. Thanks, Elizabeth. We have our "Best Advice" coming up from Pennsylvania Cngresswoman Allyson Schwartz. Stay with us.
Meningitis Death Toll Now At 12