US NIH drug facility suspended after contamination found

The National Institutes of Health said on Thursday it had suspended operations of a facility that makes products used for clinical research after the discovery of fungal contamination in two vials of albumin. Vials made from the same batch of albumin had been administered to six patients, though it is not known if those were also contaminated, the agency said. The six patients are being monitored and no signs of infection or illness have emerged. Inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified operational failures at the facility, including inadequate employee training and quality control.