More lawsuits filed against Framingham pharmacy

A man who says he contracted meningitis from a painkiller prepared by the New England Compounding Center and a man who says he's suffered mental anguish because he also got one of those painkiller shots have sued the pharmacy and its owners.

The suits, originally filed in state court, were moved to US District Court in Boston this week. Last week, a Pennsylvania woman who says she has suffered possibly permanent damage from one of the infected shots, also filed suit.

In his suit, John Does says he was diagnosed with fungal meningitis after receiving a series of steroid shots to help relieve pain from severe back and joint problems. In October, he says, the pain center he used notified him that not only had some of the shots been infected, but that he had tested positive for the fungus that can cause meningitis that has been linked to the pharamcy where the drugs were prepared. He says he now suffers flu-like symptoms, fatigue and mental anguish.

In another suit, Lance Martin and his wife Toby say they are under severe duress now because while Lance Martin has yet to be diagnosed with a fungal infection, he must undergo a series of tests to keep ruling that out, causing both him and his wife anguish. The Martins are seeking to become lead plaintiffs in a class action suit against the New England Compounding Center and its officials.