A pharmacist and their assistant are in hot water for injecting two girls with a drug that killed them both.

The young victims, whose ages have not been reported but who are named as Iman and Sajida in local media reports, died in Alexandria, Egypt, allegedly after being administered the antibiotic cefotaxime.

Cefotaxime is an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections.

But investigators determined that the pharmacist and the assistant should have tested the young girls’ sensitivity to the drug before administering a full dose.

Investigators referred the pharmacist and the assistant, who have not been named, to the Criminal Court of Alexandria on Wednesday, 23rd November.

They stand accused of intentionally injuring the two children, by administering the fatal injection.

The prosecution has reportedly interviewed nine witnesses and obtained a report from the Forensic Medicine Authority.

They also inspected the pharmacy during the investigation and concluded that not only were the two children injected with the drug without their sensitivity to it being tested, but the pharmacist and the assistant reportedly do not have any licences that allow them to practice medicine.

The prosecution also said that having a proper medical licence is required to administer the drug.

Iman and Sajida developed complications after being administered the drug, with the public prosecutor’s office saying that it caused a decline in their blood circulation and the failure of their breathing functions, directly leading to their deaths.

The children’s parents, who have not been named either, reportedly testified that the assistant, under the supervision of the pharmacist, had injected their daughters with the drug without testing their sensitivity to it.

The investigation is ongoing.