George Morrison consumes a box of cornflour every day. Without it he could slip into a coma and die.

George, from the UK, suffers from a rare and life-threatening glycogen storage disease (GSD). He is fed cornflour every three hours and constantly through the night on a feed to prevent dangerous symptoms caused by GSD.

Pharmacists recently stopped dispensing the substance and are instead offering an alternative that has not yet been tested on under-eights.

The Daily Mail reports, cornflower is no longer listed in the British National Formulary, a pharmaceutical reference book that contains information and advice on prescribing, which means pharmacies are unable to dispense it. The alternative drug, Glycosade, has been tested in America but not in the UK.

George’s parents Sam, 43, and Pete Morrison, 36, of Darlington, now struggle to keep up with the cost of their son’s constant cornflour consumption.

For six months they have been forced to purchase seven boxes of cornflour a week from the supermarket, with George consuming just under a box a day.

Sam, who works for the Department of Education, said: ‘If George gets low blood sugar, he will fit and requires urgent medical help.

‘If it’s not caught quickly enough, George will fall into a coma and he will die.

‘The ongoing medication that helps his condition is cooked cornflour – he takes 30g of cornflour several times a day and it is saving his life.

‘We have a prescription from the doctor but no chemist in Darlington will prescribe it to me as it’s apparently not on their lists any more.

‘It’s critical for George and they’re playing with his life – every child in this country is entitled to free prescriptions.’

‘George needs this to stay healthy and keep him alive. We have got an NHS and they are refusing to provide us. Glycosade costs so much more money than cornflour, it is costing the NHS more money.

‘I have been told it is an untested drug. I would not want to take that risk with my child.

‘I want the NHS to have a bit of empathy and not leave the problem with us.

‘I was angry, GSD is so rare not a lot of people have heard of it. We have had to fight for it.

‘I’m having to buy cornflour in bulk from Morrisons but I don’t see why when it’s a life-threatening condition that needs this medication.

‘It’s so frustrating, George is a lovely little boy and I just want to make sure he has a future.’

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