Overview
- Hospital officials confirmed vincristine was found in the cerebrospinal fluid of three pediatric leukemia patients following intrathecal chemotherapy.
- One adolescent died in February, and two patients—one under 10 and another adolescent—remain unconscious in critical condition.
- The injections were given between January and October last year, and severe neurological symptoms such as limb paralysis and respiratory impairment began immediately after injection.
- An internal taskforce reported pharmacists prepared doses on the mornings of the procedures and documentation showed no procedural errors, with vincristine described as tightly controlled in the facility.
- The case has been reported to Saitama Prefectural Police (Omiya Police Station), and parallel clinical and criminal inquiries continue without clarity on how the drug entered the intrathecal space.