Urgent recall of contaminated antibiotic powder

The recall affects some batches of "Targocid 200mg powder for solution for injection/infusion or oral solution"

Some batches of an antibiotic medicine called teicoplanin (brand name Targocid) are being urgently recalled in the UK because of possible contamination.

The two affected batches are labelled 0J25D1 and 0J25D2, say safety experts.

Patients and prescribers are being asked to check packs and stop using the medicine if it has either batch number.

Four patients so far have suffered high fevers just hours after being given a dose from these batches.

Other products containing teicoplanin are not affected by the recall.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says the two batches of Targocid 200mg powder for making a solution to take as an injection, by infusion or by mouth, were found to contain high levels of bacterial endotoxins - a toxic compound found in bacterial cell walls that can cause inflammation-related symptoms, high fever and, in very serious cases, septic shock.

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, advised: "It is vitally important that you check the labels of your Targocid 200mg powder and if the batch number is 0J25D1 or 0J25D2, you should stop using the medicine and seek immediate medical advice from a healthcare professional. If you are unsure which batch you have been given to use at home, please seek medical advice.

"Your healthcare professional will arrange a new prescription for you and answer any questions you may have."

If you are currently on Targocid and have any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical advice:

• a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature

• chills and shivering

• cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin

• a fast heartbeat

• fast breathing

• severe breathlessness

• severe muscle pain

• feeling dizzy or faint

• a change in mental state - such as confusion or disorientation

• loss of consciousness

• slurred speech

• nausea and vomiting

• diarrhoea

• feeling increasingly unwell

Targocid is an antibiotic used to treat a wide range of infections. For most patients, this product is administered by healthcare professionals directly in hospitals, but some patients are given it to take at home.

Patients using generic brands of this product and unaffected batches of Targocid do not need to be concerned.