The company making Infants’ Friend has collapsed following a nationwide recall of the product

It’s the end of the road for a well-known Queensland product used by generations of new parents hoping to soothe colic, teething and wind troubles distressing their babies.

RECALL SPELLS DOOM

For generations of Australians, it’s been the go-to product for new parents hoping to soothe colic, teething and wind troubles distressing their babies.

But the Ipswich-based company behind the Infants’ Friend oral liquid, which first came on the market in 1935, has collapsed following a nationwide recall of the product in December.

Neil McPhillips, the boss and co-owner of Infants’ Friend Pty Ltd, pulled the plug this week, tapping Adam Ward at Worrells to handle the winding up duties.

McPhillips and his business partner, Greg Walsh, started the company in 2003 after buying the rights to manufacture the medicine from a bloke who had originally worked with the inventor, a pharmacy owner named J.C. Minnis.

Neil McPhillips

With their product stocked on the shelves of supermarkets and chemists across the country, the pair claimed that it reigned supreme as “Australia’s number 1 selling product for the relief of colic and wind’’ for infants in their first year of life. They also made a nappy rash cream.

But a member of the public alerted the Therapeutic Goods Administration last year that the medicine contained a small amount of chloroform as an inactive ingredient, a fact not disclosed on the label.

Chloroform, once used as an anaesthetic and preservative, can cause damage to the liver, kidney and nervous system if ingested at high doses or over a prolonged period.

The TGA launched a shock recall of the product just two days before Christmas, noting that it “did not specify a maximum number of doses or duration of use’’.

The company fought back to no avail, noting the likelihood of infants developing acute toxicity “is very low as evidenced by the scarcity of adverse events reported in the past 85 years”.

McPhillips did not respond to a request for comment Thursday and Walsh could not be contacted.

Ward said known company debts exceed $400,000 but he warned that figure could increase.

CAP IN HAND

Novonix reported another enormous loss Thursday as it went back to the market, cap in hand, to raise a further $146 million to stay afloat.

The Brisbane battery materials firm suffered a $10.7m net loss in the half-year to December, continuing a non-stop cash burn since it floated six years ago.

The red ink was enough for auditors to once again flag a “material uncertainty’’ about the company’s ability to survive.

Tony Bellas

But Novonix, which rustled up $63m from investors last year, now forecasts that it’s on “a clear path to profitability’’ thanks in part to a series of recent wins, including deals with Samsung and the US Government.

Chairman Tony Bellas claims that it’s “the only qualified producer in North America of high grade anode material suitable for lithium ion batteries’’ for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

As part of the latest capital raising, board members Trevor St Baker, Andrew Liveris, Bob Natter and Bob Cooper will collectively tip in $16.45m.

St Baker, the extremely wealthy energy kingpin who is also financially propping up vehicle charging outfits Tritium and Evie Networks, committed to the lion’s share at $12m.

Liveris, the former Dow Chemicals boss, is good for $3m.