The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has urged healthcare professionals to contact patients using the antibiotic Targocid 200mg, tell them to stop taking it and urgently arrange a new prescription after two batches were contaminated by a toxic compound.

The affected batches – 0J25D1 and 0J25D2 – were recalled by the manufacturer Sanofi UK after they were found to contain high levels of bacterial endotoxins which can cause inflammation-related symptoms, high fever and septic shock.

Symptoms patients should look out for include fever or low body temperature, chills and shivering, cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin, a fast heartbeat, fast breathing, severe breathlessness and muscle pain, feeling dizzy or faint, confusion or disorientation, loss of consciousness, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea and feeling increasingly unwell.

The MHRA told patients prescribed Targocid 200mg powder to check the batch number and expiry date (30/04/2023) and immediately seek medical advice from a healthcare professional if they have an affected batch.

Targocid is normally administered in hospitals but is sometimes prescribed to patients at home. The MHRA said patients using generic brands of the product and unaffected batches “do not need to be concerned.”