Three further cases of babies falling ill after receiving feed made by Harlesden based company
ITH Pharma Limited is based in Premier Park Road, Harlesden (Pic credit: Google Streetview) - Credit: Archant
Three further cases of blood poisoning has been confirmed in babies who were fed contaminated batches of a food drip feed, developed by a Brent based pharmaceutical company.
The batch of intravenous liquid, called parenteral nutrition, thought to be responsible for this tragic incident, which resulted in the death of one baby, is manufactured by ITH Pharma Limited which is situated in Premier Park Road, Harlesden.
The babies affected, many of whom were deemed as premature and vulnerable, were treated neonatal intensive care units at hospitals in England, and given the feed direct to their bloodstream as they could not be fed by mouth.
The new report takes the total number of reported cases to 18.
The source of contamination remains a mystery.
However, it is known that the blood poisoning was caused by a common bacterium known as Bacillus cereus –widely found in dust, soil and vegetation.
Public Health England claim while no new cases have occurred since 2 June 2014, when the batches of the affected stock expired, there is a possibility more cases to come.
Most Read
- 1 Revealed: Your favourite fish and chip shop in north London
- 2 Maskless passengers on London trains and buses fined 4,000 times
- 3 Baby among three rescued from Willesden flat fire
- 4 Trial date for men charged with fatal stabbing of Emmanuel Odunlami
- 5 Cricklewood estate reports 'major vermin' problem
- 6 'Extremely dangerous' men convicted after girl kidnapped and raped
- 7 Jailed: North London members of Essex drugs supply network
- 8 7 of the best Chinese restaurants with delivery in north London
- 9 'Strictest' headteacher to be documentary subject
- 10 Explained: What the cost of living support package means for you
The company has since launched a product recall to which the Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued an alert to hospitals.
The MHRA is continuing its investigation into this incident and the manufacturer is co-operating fully.
