Investigation into unauthorised sale of antibiotics
An investigation has been launched into an unauthorised sale of antibiotics after a worried mother reported the powdered substance to a hospital after giving it to her baby.
The probe, being led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), centres around the purchase of Augmentin ES at a shop in the Handsworth area of Birmingham.
Parents, who suspected their 12-month old boy had an infection, bought the £21.50 medicine over the counter without a prescription and were told to mix it with water.
But they took the youngster to City Hospital showing the bottle to doctors when his condition failed to improve.
The baby was diagnosed with cold symptoms and was not thought to have been harmed by the antibiotic, but consultants expressed concerns that the powder contained Penicillin which can be ‘deadly’ to anyone who is allergic.
