Infant death after pharmacy error

The story so far

A two-month-old baby died at Starship Hospital on 19 July after allegedly being given an adult dose of medication from a Manawatū pharmacy.^{28, 29 Jul 2025; 1 Aug 2025} The infant allegedly received more than 13 times the prescribed dose, and the medication involved was phosphate, which caused toxicity.^{29 Jul 2025; 1, 5 Aug 2025} The Pharmacy Council has suspended an intern pharmacist over the death.^{1 Aug 2025} Reports say three pharmacy staff were involved in the error: an intern pharmacist, a trainee technician and a registered pharmacist.^{5 Aug 2025} The baby's parents are calling for legal changes requiring medication to be double-checked, and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit clinical director supports mandatory two-person checks.^{28, 29 Jul 2025}

Latest

A Pharmaceutical Society member described the incident as a symptom of deeper systemic issues.^{5 Aug 2025}

Key moments

1. 28 Jul 2025Baby dies at Starship after alleged adult-dose medication error
2. 29 Jul 2025Clinical director backs mandatory two-person medication checks
3. 1 Aug 2025Pharmacy Council suspends intern pharmacist over infant's death
4. 5 Aug 2025Three pharmacy staff involved; dose more than 13 times prescribed

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.