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Al-Marsad Newspaper – Agencies: The World Health Organization has issued a warning regarding the presence of a contaminated batch of methotrexate 50 mg in the organization’s eastern Mediterranean region.

The organization said in a statement that the contaminated batch was found in Yemen and Lebanon after adverse effects appeared on sick children receiving the medicine, indicating that health authorities in the two countries conducted microbiological tests on the remaining sealed vials and on the test results revealed the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which is evidence of product contamination.

The organization stressed “the need to detect contaminated products and withdraw them from circulation to prevent harm to patients” and called for greater surveillance and caution at the level of supply chains in countries and territories potentially affected by this product.

The organization also advised to increase monitoring at the level of informal markets and urged the relevant authorities to notify them immediately if this product has been discovered in the markets of their countries.