SAN DIEGO – A handful of people became sick Tuesday at a pharmaceutical company in Sorrento Valley, including a man who reportedly stopped breathing, San Diego fire official said.

The people who fell ill were hit after eating food a co-worker brought to the office at Inovio Pharmaceuticals, according to a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokeswoman. A 60-year-old man collapsed outside the business, she said.

Medics took him to a trauma center. His condition unknown, the fire official said. Another person was taken to a hospital and two others found other people to take them to get medical treatment.

It is unclear what type of food, or substance within it, caused the illnesses.