A German homicide commission is investigating the deaths of a pregnant mother and baby after taking a remedy manufactured at a Cologne pharmacy.

The investigators came across a toxic substance in the glucose-based solution the mother had taken. The solution was sold as a test for diabetes during pregnancy.

A postmortem revealed that the 28-year-old woman died of multiple organ failure. Doctors tried to save the baby by performing an emergency cesarean section, but the baby subsequently died.

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Further patients at risk 

A doctor had notified police of the incident on September 19 as well as another similar incident.

A woman who was given the same preparation according to her doctor's prescription also experienced complications but stopped taking it before completing the entire amount. 

According to a spokesperson, German investigators cannot rule out the possibility that other toxic substances from the Heilig-Geist pharmacy in Cologne-Longerich could be in circulation.

The city of Cologne has prohibited the pharmacy from selling self-manufactured drugs and any glucose-containing products for the time being.

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Pharmacy owner 'stunned'

Patients who have purchased glucose-containing products at the pharmacy are warned not to take the medicine and immediately deliver the products to the nearest police station. 

"I'm stunned," pharmacy owner Till Fuxius told dpa, adding that he could not explain what had happened. "I'm a witness, not the accused."

The number of patients affected is still under investigation.

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