Drug giant Glaxo shuts down plant over bacteria

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline shut down a plant that produces inhaled medications after discovering the bacteria that causes Legionnaire's disease, a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. The manufacturing plant in Zebulon, about 40 kilometers east of Raleigh, was closed after routine testing found the bacteria in a self-standing cooling tower. About 400 of the 850 employees who work in Zebulon were told to stay away until the towers are cleaned, officials said. The company said in a statement that the cooling tower "does not come into contact with product manufactured at the facility."