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The tainted drug believed to have caused 170 cases of rare fungal meningitis and 14 deaths came from a so-called "compounding pharmacy" in Massachusetts. But this is no corner drugstore. It's one of dozens of industrial-scale companies that mix and ship drugs nationally. They operate under old-fashioned rules that require pharmacies to custom-mix medications for individual patients on a prescription-by-prescription basis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration largely leaves regulation of these pharmacies to each of the 50 states but now many experts say it has to change.

Mitt Romney once again sparked controversy over his views on health care in an editorial board interview with the Columbus Dispatch on Thursday. Romney said: "We don't have a setting across this country where if you don't have insurance, we just say to you, 'Tough luck, you're going to die when you have your heart attack.'" But health policy analysts noted a number of studies showing that people without health insurance do worse than the insured when they get sick and are more likely to die. Robert Siegel talks with Julie Rovner.

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Yesterday on the program we reported on Paul Ryan's debating style. We're going to do the same now for his opponent, Vice President Biden, who's an experienced debater. Here's NPR's Brian Naylor.