Pharmaceutical company charged over string of baby deaths and illnesses at hospitals
ITH Pharma Ltd is accused of seven counts of supplying a medicinal product which was not of the nature or quality specified in the prescription
A DRUGS company has been charged over the death of three babies at a string of British hospitals.
A probe was launched in 2014 after the babies died and another 20 needed treatment when they contracted septicaemia.
ITH Pharma Ltd have now been charged with seven counts of supplying a medicinal product which was not of the nature or quality specified in the prescription on May 27, 2014.
The charges relate to seven babies, including three who died, who were given fluid as nutrition because they were unable to feed on their own.
Those who died were treated at St Thomas' Hospital in London and Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge.
Nine-day-old Yousef Al-Kharboush passed away on June 1, 2014, after receiving the contaminated feed at St Thomas'.
He was fed intravenously along with twin brother Abdulilah after being born by emergency Caesarean section.
While Abdulilah was not affected, Yousef contracted lethal blood poisoning from the feed which was contaminated with the bacteria bacillus cereus.
Their father Raaid Sakkijha said: "It has been like living with an open wound that will not close. We have found it impossible to move on while the case is ongoing, I am not sure that we will ever come to terms with what happened.
"We never celebrate events such as Yousef's brother's birthday because it is too painful a reminder of what we've lost."
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ITH Pharma have also been charged with failing to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that patients were not infected by contaminants under the Health and Safety Act.
The North London-based company is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on December 17.
The company said: “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.”