A pharmaceutical company based in Stonebridge has been charged in connection with baby deaths and illnesses in a number of hospitals.

ITH Pharma Ltd, in Premier Park, has been charged with seven counts of supplying a medicinal product which was not of the nature or quality specified in a prescription on May 27 May.

The company, launched in 2008, has also been charged with failing to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that patients were not infected by contaminants, in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, between August 1 2009 and June 1 2014, police said.

ITH Pharma founders, Adam Bloom and Karen Hamling, said in a statement: “Since 2008, ITH has manufactured more than 1.4 million components of total parenteral nutrition and is the sole commercial supplier of reactive feeding solutions to the NHS.

“This product has helped thousands of extremely vulnerable infants survive premature and complex births.

“ITH imposes rigorous environmental monitoring on its manufacturing process.

“The company has always had a strong relationship with the MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] and continues to receive exemplary ratings for quality and safety.”

They added; “As founders of ITH we have every sympathy for all the families affected, regardless of the cause.

“However, we are disappointed by the decision to charge the company and will vigorously defend this case.

“It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The company is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on December 17.