Parenteral nutrition product is suspected as cause of 18 cases of septicaemia in neonates

Public Health England and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are investigating 18 cases of septicaemia, including one death, that have occurred in neonatal intensive care units at a small number of hospitals in England.

Investigations are ongoing, but the infections are believed to be linked to a batch of parenteral nutrition given to neonates that had become contaminated with Bacillus cereus. The feed was manufactured by ITH Pharma, which has recalled all remaining stocks of that batch, and the MHRA has issued a class 1 drug alert to the recall. The batch of affected feed …