Lawyers Acting For Victim Of Previous Problems Call For Action On Latest Issues

Lawyers representing the family of a child injured after consuming contaminated parenteral feed two years ago have urged Public Health England and the MHRA to explain the link between the feed produced by IHT Pharma Limited and the death of one child and the illnesses of 17 others.

Public Health England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have confirmed they are investigating 18 cases of blood poisoning caused by the bacteria Bacillus cereus, with the cases being linked to batches of parenteral nutrition produced by ITH Pharma Ltd.

Cases have been reported at:

• Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, London
• Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, London
• Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Addenbrooke's, Cambridge University Hospitals
• Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
• The Whittington Hospital, London

Investigations have identified an incident in which contamination of some batches -which are produced in controlled aseptic conditions - may have occurred. Whilst the short shelf life of the product means it is unlikely any stock related to the suspected contamination remains available for use, the MHRA has issued a Class 1 drug alert to support the manufacturer’s recall.

Medical lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who specialise in representing victims and the families of those affected by defective products, are now calling on authorities to make public as quickly as possible, the cause of these problems.