Published 28 November 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2801
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2801

News

Doctor is cleared of manslaughter for prescribing penicillin to man who said he was allergic

Clare Dyer

1 BMJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A locum GP who prescribed penicillin V (phenoxymethylpenicillin) to a 73 year old man who died after taking the drug has been cleared of manslaughter. The jury at Plymouth Crown Court unanimously found Mitra Nikkhah not guilty after two hours of deliberation.

Dr Nikkhah, 41, was accused of the manslaughter of David Townsend by gross negligence. The prosecution case was that she prescribed the drug despite a warning by Mr Townsend and his wife that he was allergic to it and that he had gone into anaphylactic shock and died as a result.

Mr Townsend died in May 2006 after being prescribed penicillin by Dr Nikkhah during a consultation with her at St Budeaux Health Centre in Plymouth, to treat a throat infection, bronchitis, and a lower back abscess.

But she was cleared after two other doctors who worked in the practice told the court that they had previously given . . . [Full text of this article]


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Rapid Responses:

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