Vitamin D Supplement Linked To A French Baby's Death

The sale of a Vitamin D supplement has been suspended by France following the death of a 10-day-old baby who reportedly suffocated after being given a Uvesterol D dose. This vitamin supplement is usually given to children in France who are below five years old in order to prevent a possible deficiency.

A link between the vitamin D dose and the death of the baby was probable, according to the medical safety agency of France. However, health officials claimed it does not necessarily mean that vitamins and supplements pose a danger to babies in general.

"It's the specific way the product is administered that poses risks," Health Minister Marisol Touraine said even as she promised that they will provide transparent, objective and reliable information" on the incident. The national medical safety agency (ANSM), on the other hand, added, "only Uvesterol D administered with a pipette is involved."

The said product is not available for sale in the United Kingdom, as per BBC News. Reports show that the baby died of cardio-respiratory arrest on Dec. 21, 2016 after the said substance was orally administered using a plastic pipette. ANSM said it already imposed measures to minimize the adverse effects of Uvesterol D as early as 2006 several years after it became available in the market beginning 1990.

A report by Reuters shows that Crinex laboratory, the company behind the substance, had made it available to tens of thousands of babies since it was launched. However, this is the first time that it was linked to a fatal incident.

Le Monde, a daily in France, reported there were previous documentations of serious illnesses arising from its ingestion. The company, however, issued several recommendations as regards to the manner of administering the substances and its dosage since 2013.

Uvesterol has reportedly been under investigation in France from the time it was released in the market, the American Council on Science and Health noted. The organization, however, clarified that while the baby died after the substance was ingested, it was a problem with how it was administered and not with the vitamins itself.