Consort Medical suffers chemical incident at operating plant

A UK-based pharmaceutical manufacturer suffered damage to one of its operating plants after one of the chemicals in use degraded.

The incident occurred at Consort Medical’s Aesica Cramlington manufacturing facility. A small part of the operating plant was damaged and contaminated after the rapid thermal degradation of a chemical.

The company has stated that none of its employees at the site were injured and that it will suspend all similar manufacturing operations until it determines the cause of the incident.

A company spokesperson said: “The safety of our employees is our absolute priority and we have suspended all similar manufacturing processes as we determine the cause of the incident. We are being supported in this by a specialist decontamination company and process safety experts.  They will investigate the causes and compile an independent report. We are also working closely with the local regulatory authorities.”

Due to the incident, Consort Medical is estimated to lose up to £5 million in profits during the current financial year.