GSK Shutters Plant on Bacteria Concerns

GlaxoSmithKline has temporarily shuttered a plant in the US state of North Carolina that produces inhaled medications after routine testing found the bacteria that causes Legionnaire's disease in a self-standing cooling tower.

A spokesperson for the plant near the state capital of Raleigh said testing is conducted every three months, but the company was seeking "more details on whether product has been impacted” and determining the procedure for handling it.

The facility produces inhaled drugs such as the asthma treatment Advair, and also toll manufactures for other pharmaceutical companies. Local officials said they were not aware of any Legionnaire's disease cases associated with the Glaxo plant.

According to reports, the same bacteria was found in cooling tanks in the Bronx borough of New York City earlier this summer, which is believed to have caused 12 deaths from Legionnaires' disease.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based in Atlanta, Georgia, said about 8,000 to 18,000 Americans are hospitalized with the illness annually.