Drug Tied to China Had Contaminant, F.D.A. Says

[DainBramaged]

Source: NY Times

<Federal drug regulators said Wednesday that a critical blood thinner that had been linked to at least 19 deaths and whose raw components were produced in China contained a possibly counterfeit ingredient that mimicked the real drug. Routine tests failed to distinguish the contaminant from the drug, heparin. Only sophisticated magnetic resonance imaging tests uncovered that as much as 20 percent of the product’s active ingredient was a heparin mimic blended in with the real thing. Federal officials said they did not know what the contaminant was.

“At this point, we do not know whether the introduction was accidental or whether it was deliberate,” said the Food and Drug Administration’s deputy commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock. Heparin is made from pig intestines. Scientific Protein Laboratories, based in Waunakee, Wis., bought raw heparin produced in some cases in small, unregulated family workshops in China and processed it in plants in Wisconsin and China, according to heparin traders and producers in China. Baxter International purchased the active ingredient from Scientific Protein and sold the finished drug.

Wayne Pines, a spokesman for Scientific Protein Laboratories, said that nothing sinister about the contamination had been proved. “There is no evidence of counterfeiting or tampering or anything of that nature,” Mr. Pines said. “No one really knows what happened here.” Beginning in November, public health officials received reports of patients experiencing severe allergic reactions after being given Baxter’s product. Baxter initiated a series of recalls that culminated last week in a withdrawal of nearly all of Baxter’s heparin production.

The F.D.A. has now received 785 reports of serious injuries associated with the drug’s use. Forty-six deaths have also been reported to the agency, but Dr. Woodcock said that just 19 of these appeared related to the suspect heparin. Baxter executives said that the total death toll was actually four.>






Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/health/06heparin.html?partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

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Yup, profit and "the cheap" rule this country now. Quality means nothing, and we value "the cheap" more than lives.

[Lint Head]

1. And we pay $150.00 for a drug that costs 5 cents

to produce in China. We need universal health care now.

[Dr.Phool]

2. We've got 3 presidential candidates that will make this their top priority!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

We can't import drugs from Canada because we can't verify their safety. That's really working out well.

[OhioChick]

8. Agreed. n/t

[liberal4truth]

13. Larry, Moe & Curly ?

[Gman]

3. Processed from family run producers...

It could be less than a penny a pill.

[RantinRavin]

6. Yes...

That way the government can pay 300 dollars for 2 cents worth of a drug.

[liberal4truth]

12. Walmart is selling generic ibupropfen for $7.49 per 500 tabs. Wonder where that is made?

It doesn't say on the bottle......hmmmmm.

[smiley_glad_hands]

4. We've sold our National Security out to the chinese. eom

[Heywood J]

5. The next president should use this to hammer through a law banning the offshoring of medicine.

I know, I know. In a dream world. But at the very least, someone should have their ass fined off for this. Nineteen are dead, and if the culpable party is Chinese, they should be tracked by name and banned from ever exporting to the US again.

This should be a wakeup call to the next Congress and next President that China's MFN status needs to be revisited.

[DainBramaged]

7. K&R for "the cheap"

[sarcasmo]

9. Keep on buying that cheap shit from China.

[liberal4truth]

11. That way when it breaks down you can buy more; 1950 Frigidaire Refer still running after 57 years!

Lets' see if that cheap Chinese crap can beat that record.

No breakdowns or repairs.....ever.

BTW, take that and put it up your pipe, Mr. Maytag Man!!!!

[minnesota_liberal]

10. Don't import drugs from Canada, they might be dangerous

There are many other factories in China that manufacture drugs or drug components for the U.S. market. Don't you feel safer knowing that?