NEW YORK — A Congressional committee is looking into allegations that a compounding pharmacy industry association may have taught pharmacists how to sidestep requests for samples from the Food and Drug Administration, according to published reports.

Reuters reported that the House Energy and Commerce Committee had requested internal documents from the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, citing a news report about the organization.

The request comes amid a nationwide meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated supplies of steroid drugs prepared at the New England Compounding Center that had sickened 541 people and killed 36 in 19 states as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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