Lab equipment error results in executive resignation

An Eastern Health executive has resigned after an investigation revealed that patients were given too much cyclosporine due to a lab equipment fault.

Dr Nash Denic, head of laboratory services with the Canadian organisation, will remain with the company but his new role has yet to be determined.

Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant often given to transplant patients, however, large doses can result in serious kidney problems.

The health authority announced in February that people being treated may have received too much of the medication.

An internal investigation discovered that a mass spectrometer analyser - which measures the level of the drug in a person's blood - at the local Health Sciences Centre was poorly calibrated.

Commenting on the incident, health minister Jerome Kennedy said: "Right now, my confidence is shaken … but the day is finished when people will not comply with basic requirements such as occurrence and adverse event reporting."