NHS says till an alternative is available it will continue to use Viaspan, the solution used to store organs during transport. Photograph: Ben Edwards Doctors involved in NHS transplants have been warned that the solution used to transport livers, pancreas and other organs between hospitals may be contaminated with bacteria, following a global alert by the manufacturer. There has been no evidence so far that any organ has been affected or any transplant patient has been compromised, said chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies. She added that doctors could prescribe antibiotics to their patients that would curb any infection. The solution, called Viaspan and manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb, will continue to be used in the NHS until alternative products can be shipped in. "If we were to recall the product immediately, it is clear that patients would suffer and some may die," said Davies. Every day doctors and transplant teams make clinical decisions which weigh up the risks and benefits for their patients and they will continue to do so. We are now working urgently to source alternative products. The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority) is working closely with the manufacturers and tests are ongoing. Professor Sir Kent Woods, chief executive of the MHRA, which is responsible for licensing and regulating medicines, said he supported the decision to continue using Viaspan in order to continue transplants and save lives. "There is no evidence from transplant centres that patients who have had transplants using this solution are experiencing any related healthcare problems," he said. We have acted quickly to protect patients and we have alerted transplant centres and surgeons immediately about this contamination and precautionary recall by the manufacturer. Lorna Williamson, NHS blood and transplant medical and research director, said: "For patients suffering from terminal liver disease, a transplant may be the only treatment, and many cannot be delayed even for a few days. NHSBT is working with the MHRA and the transplant centres to ensure that the vital transplant programme continues.