Personal Injury Law

Blood Thinner Heparin may be linked to more deaths

By Brian F. LaBovick, Esq.

According to recent reports, some Baxter Heparin blood thinners may be linked to more deaths. Baxter International is expanding a recall to include almost all of its heparin products. The New York Times reports that the Food and Drug Administration has linked the number of deaths possibly associated with the drug, made from pig intestines, to be 21 an increase from the initial four reported deaths. But it cautioned that many of those patients were already seriously ill and that the drug might not have caused their deaths. Alternate heparin manufacturers are expected to be able to increase heparin production sufficiently to supply the US market.

The FDA website gives a full report of the Heparin by Baxter Healthcare Corporation.  The site states that Baxter has extended its recall of multi-dose vials of heparin sodium for injection to also include single-dose vials of heparin sodium for injection. As a precautionary measure Baxter is also recalling its heparin lock flush products. The heparin source manufacturer for lock flush solutions is the same as that for Baxter’s heparin sodium for injection.

Baxter Recall Announcement of Heparin Sodium Vial Products - February 28, 2008

Baxter Recall of Heparin 1,000 Units/ML 10 and 30mL Multi-Dose Vials - January 25, 2008
NDC NUMBERS 0641-2440-45, 0641-2440-41, 0641-2450-45 and 0641-2450-41;
LOTS: 107054, 117085, 047056, 097081, 107024, 107064, 107066, 107074, 107111

The FDA is still investigating the cause of adverse events reported for Baxter’s heparin sodium. Investigations are being done by FDA investigators and scientists , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Baxter to discover the underlying cause of the adverse events. 

Health care providers are encouraged to report all allergic-type reactions to any heparin infusion to FDA’s MedWatch on line at  www.fda.gov/medwatch/report/hcp.htm, by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178, by mail, or by telephone to 1-800-FDA-1088.

After reading the New York Times describe Chinese facilities that make components of Heparin, mucous membrane,  cooked pig intestines and eventually  a dry substance: crude heparin,  I suddenly recalled the 2006 documentary type movie Fast Food Nation. If we stop to think of how how facilities handle and process animals for consumption and medicine, it is easy to see why someone considers becoming a Vegan or Vegetarian.

Yesterday, Baxter stock closed at $59.93

To read more on the Heaparin recall, Click Here for the New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, Baxter Health International.

Full post as published by LaBovick Injury Law Blog on February 29, 2008 (boomark / email).