VITAL medication worth £100,000 had to be destroyed after a fridge broke down at a top hospital.

Hospital bosses launched a top-level inquiry after they discovered a temperature control mechanism on a cold store had broken down putting £1,568,000 of blood clotting products at risk.

The Newcastle Hospitals trust called in the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control to test the medicinefor possible heat damage.

Products which could not be tested adequately and which were likely to have been damaged - totalling £100,000 - have now been destroyed. The hospital suspended a member of staff during the inquiry and confirmed it had taken disciplinary action.

Dr Mike Laker, medical director of Newcastle Hospitals Trust, promised patients would be informed before they are treated with any of the medication involved and given the option of alternative products.

He said: "It is important that drugs should be effective and as those tested are, there is no reason why they should not be used."

In a statement a hospital spokeswoman explained that many of the products involved in the incident are used to treat clotting disorders and are heated as part of their manufacturing process.

A spokeswoman for Northumberland Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority, which oversees all local health trusts, said last night: "The trustc informed us of the situation and have kept us up-to-date throughout the inquiry and we are very happy with the way they have handled it.

"It is always important in situations like this if lessons learned can be shared with the rest of the local NHS."