The board of inquiry investigating the use of expired medication at Mater Dei Hospital has asked for a two-week extension, Times of Malta is informed.

The Health Ministry ordered the inquiry after the news organisation reported that expired Tamiflu medication had been used to treat critical patients in intensive care at the hospital.

Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the results of the inquiry would be available by this week. However, when asked about the board’s findings, a Health Ministry spokeswoman said that the board had asked the permanent secretary for “an extension of a further two weeks”.

The inquiry should be done by mid-December

“Thus the inquiry should be concluded by mid-December,” the spokeswoman said.

According to reports that reached Times of Malta, the hospital pharmacy ran out of the medication last May. In the meantime, expired stock was used, though it was only administered to patients who were in critical condition.

Tamiflu is prescribed to patients with the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, to relieve some of its symptoms. The virus can be fatal.

The use of expired medicine is not uncommon, because some products are still effective even after their sell-by date. The minister admitted that the use of expired Tamiflu was not an isolated case and said the use of expired medicine was also common in other countries.

Meanwhile, the Opposition criticised the minister for making such claims, saying such a practice could not be justified.

The ministry has since repeatedly insisted that the Health Department’s policy stipulated that no out-of-date medicinal products should be used at any hospital wards.

Asked in Parliament recently whether patients had suffered any repercussions as a result of the incident, Mr Fearne said the condition of the three patients prescribed the expired medication had improved.