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A pharmaceutical firm has been charged with criminal offences following a police investigation into the deaths and illnesses of babies at hospitals in England.
ITH Pharma Ltd, based at Premier Park, north west London, has been charged with seven counts of supplying a medicinal product that was not of the nature or quality specified in the prescription, on 27 May 2014.
The Metropolitan Police said the company had 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 1 August 2009 and 1 June 2014.
The police investigation began after the death of a baby at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. The deaths of two more babies were also investigated.
In a statement, the company’s founders, Adam Bloom and Karen Hamling, 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.
“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.
“ITH imposes rigorous environmental monitoring on its manufacturing process. The company has always had a strong relationship with the [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] and continues to receive exemplary ratings for quality and safety.”
The company is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 17 December 2018.
