Diabetes drugs posted through wrong letterbox nearly swallowed by toddler

A local pharmacy in Blackburn has come under fire for a mistake which nearly had fatal consequences for one 21-month-old boy.
Zubayr Naeem was playing in the hallway of his home when he noticed a pack of diabetes tablets that had been pushed through the letterbox by a driver for the pharmacy. His mum Yasmin was in the kitche, unaware of the drugs lying on the floor.
The toddler tore through the pack of Trajenta pills and put two of the tablets in his mouth, but was luckily prevented from swallowing them when his 37-year-old father Mohammed Naeem arrived home and realised what he had done.
After taking the drugs out of his mouth, Mr Naeem rang the NHS and was told to take his son to the emergency department of Royal Blackburn Hospital immediately.
Zubayr was rushed to the hospital and kept overnight. He returned home the following morning but continued to show signs of discomfort. Three days later he was taken to the family’s GP for a check-up and finally given the all clear.
But doctors warned that in a child under two, the diabetes medication would have caused a coma and probable death if swallowed and left untreated.
The Trajenta pills, which help adults with type 2 diabetes improve their blood sugar control, were actually addressed to a neighbour, but were not only delivered to the wrong house but pushed through the letterbox instead of handing them over to an adult occupant.
Riaz Pharmacy said no medication should be posted through a letterbox. “Our policy is to give them to an individual and if no-one is present leave a note asking them to ring us to arrange delivery. The driver has been suspended,” Pharmacy manager Riaz Hinglotowala said.
“We are very lucky,” said Mr Naeem. “He could have died if we had not seen him do it, got the pills out and taken him to hospital where they were fantastic. If everyone hadn’t acted quickly, it would have had serious consequences.
“I have CCTV of the man delivering the pills. I am taking legal advice. I want something done so this cannot happen again and my neighbour is not left without his life-saving pills.”
A spokesman for the General Pharmaceutical Council said all registered pharmacies are required to meet its standards, which include supplying medicines and medical devices safely, and that “failure to comply” with these standards could put their registration at risk.