Baxter International Expands Heparin Recall; Report Links Blood Thinner to More Deaths

[Celebration]

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/51b5a704d9408656d7ac7cf8b45b174b.htm

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - A day after Baxter International Inc. recalled nearly all remaining batches of its blood thinner heparin, a report Friday linked the product to additional patient deaths.

Late Thursday, Baxter said it will recall all remaining lots of heparin single- and multi-dose injections and HEP-LOCK products. The company recalled nine production lots of heparin multi-dose injection in January after the drug was linked to four deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions.

On Friday, the New York Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration had discovered possible links to 17 other deaths. The paper added that the agency is focusing on a Chinese plant that supplies the active ingredient in heparin, which is made from mucous membranes extracted from pig intestines.

In a letter posted to the FDA Web site Thursday, the FDA discussed problems in the manufacturing process. It said some lots of heparin sold in the U.S. "included material from an unacceptable workshop vendor," among other issues.

[Warpy]

1. Real smart GOP policy

Offshore medical production to a country with no industrial oversight.

Gut the FDA so we have no oversight of medicine we import.

If only the people responsible for this got hurt, we'd be OK. However, they make damned sure we're the ones who always get hurt.

[aquart]

2. But those Canadian drugs could kill us. Those they'll stop.

As to "only us" getting hurt, I think it's pretty clear by the action they're taking that they've realized it could be "them," too.

[Vanje]

3. ...but remember, less expensive medicine from Canada may be harmful