Transfer to police to investigate the case of administering expired medicine to a child with cancer
Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital has suspended all related individuals and is conducting verification and clarification of the cause of the incident of administering expired drugs to a child with cancer.
At the same time, the Hospital transferred the case file to the police for investigation.
According to Dr. Phu Chi Dung, at 7:30 p.m. on June 24, the Blood Transfusion - Hematology Hospital received a complaint from the family of patient Le Tran Khanh Ch. (4 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, diagnosed with bone marrow failure) about this patient being given and using expired Antithymocyte Globuline (Thymogam 250mg).
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The hospital immediately stopped the prescription and re-checked the expiration date of the medicine. Through inspection, the hospital leadership discovered that 2 bottles of Antithymocyte Globuline (Thymogam 250mg) dispensed to patient Le Tran Khanh Ch. had an expiration date printed on the label of January 2020 (of which 1 bottle had been used and 1 bottle had used 4ml/100ml of the mixed medicine). Meanwhile, checking on the hospital's drug management software system, these 2 bottles of medicine had an expiration date of November 2021.
For pediatric patients, the Hospital's Professional Council also proposed a plan to continue supplementing the missing dose in the treatment regimen. The Professional Council of the Blood Transfusion - Hematology Hospital affirmed that the drug supplementation still ensures the safety and effectiveness of the treatment regimen. Currently, the pediatric patient is still living normally, has stable vital signs and is being cared for and monitored continuously.Regarding the impact of using expired drugs on children's health, Dr. Phu Chi Dung said that Thymogam is an immunoregulatory drug, which is essentially a protein. Over time, the drug will decompose into amino acids, does not cause toxicity to the body, and does not worsen the child's condition.
The unwanted reaction that can occur is delayed hypersensitivity reaction (hypersensitivity reaction occurring 12 hours after the second antigen penetration) of Thymogam in general within the first 15 days after infusion.
