Personal Injury Law

Chemicals Found in Some Medications Are Risky for Premature Babies

By Jeff Rasansky

According to studies, chemicals found in medications are posing serious risks for premature babies. According to research that has been conducted by a team from the University of Leicester, various chemicals that are added to improve taste and absorbtion might prove to be harmful to babies. This comes from a report done by the Science Daily.

Researchers published a study that showed that "excipients" in medications might prove to be harmful to premature babies. The study was led by Dr. Hitesh Pandya, Senior Lecturer in Child Health in the Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation at the University of Leicester and Consultant Pediatrician at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

The chemicals that were generally involved were ethanol, sorbitol and Ponceaau 4R. Dr. Pandya said, "This study documents a worldwide problem. It shows that the collection of medicines given to babies may ultimately lead to them being exposed to harmful chemicals with the potential for short and long term toxic effects. Our research highlighted this, and we are planning further studies on the chemicals to understand exactly what these effects might be.

Dr. Pandya went on to say, "We feel it is important that the [medicine regulators] not only ensure that all manufacturers provide detailed labeling of the excipient content of their products but all lead action to determine whether existing practice constitutes a risk, and if so, how this might be dealt with."

Full post as published by Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer on January 21, 2009 (boomark / email).