A decision to give expired medicine to patients in critical condition was made after “discussions between competent clinicians and hospital authorities”, Mater Dei Hospital CEO Ivan Falzon said yesterday.

The Health Ministry on Friday appointed a board of inquiry after the Times of Malta flagged the matter. Mr Falzon said that, to his knowledge, this was “an isolated case”.

Reports reaching this news­paper said expired Tamiflu medication had been used to treat patients in critical condition in intensive care. According to Mr Falzon, three patients were administered the medication, which is used to treat swine flu.

Sources told this newspaper that it had already been indicated that the medicine should be disposed of but it was used after the hospital pharmacy ran out of the product.

The sources told this newspaper it was difficult for the authorities not to have been aware that the expired medication was being used. However, a ministry spokeswoman insisted this was not the case. The issue was only brought to their attention following questions by this newspaper, she said.

Asked whether the hospital authorities knew what was going on and whether he himself was aware of the practice before the ministry made the announcement about the matter, Mr Falzon replied that he would await the inquiry to “establish the full facts”.

According to reports that reached this newspaper, at some point last May the hospital pharmacy ran out of the medication and it has not been available since.

In the meantime, expired stock was being used – even though it was only being administered to patients who were in critical condition, the sources said, adding that a special form had first to be filled in before the expired medication was handed out by the pharmacy.

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

Medical doctors noted that the use of expired medicine was not uncommon because some medicinal products would still be effective even if they exceeded their expiry date.

When announcing the inquiry, the ministry insisted that the Health Department’s policy stipulated that no out-of-date medicinal products should be used.