Medical Supplier Under FDA Investigation for Contaminated Products

By Kelly Balamuth on August 1, 2011

The findings of a Colorado hospital have initiated an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into H&P Industries Inc., which does business as the Triad Group of Hartland, Wisconsin. The company manufactures medical wipes, which are commonly used in medical facilities.

The Colorado hospital began testing alcohol prep pads made by the Triad Group after two children being treated at the hospital for unrelated conditions developed sudden, life-threatening infections. In an effort to find the source of the infection, the hospital tested 60 samples from 10 different manufacturing lots of the Triad Group wipes and found that 40 of them from 8 different lots were contaminated with the bacteria Bacillus cereus.

After the hospital reported its findings, the FDA began an inquiry which prompted a voluntary recall of the products. In addition to providing wipes for hospital use, these wipes were sold by retailers under the Safeway, Kroger and Walgreens brands, among others. For a list of brands involved in the recall visit www.triad-group.net/media/pdf/Recal_Facts.pdf.

Several patients who allegedly contracted infections due to the wipes are filing suits against the company, including a 55-year-old man from Tennessee, the parents of a 3-year-old boy from Washington and the parents of a 10-year-old boy from Colorado whose case sparked the initial study by the hospital. After further investigation by the FDA, more than $6 million in Triad products have been confiscated and a federal court order is in place which forbids the Wisconsin plant from making or distributing medical supplies.

If you or a loved one has been made ill by a Triad product or other medical supply product, call Balamuth Harrington today. Our defective products lawyers in Walnut Creek can help you get compensation you may be entitled to. Call 1-888-254-1234 for a free consultation.