Tainted Baxter Heparin Love

The cause and effect of Baxter heparin is that three of ten patients tested positive for oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, the contaminant in Baxter heparin. Ten people died and the three of them were the result of a certain numbered lot of Baxter heparin. Heparin lot numbers were not known for the other seven patients

During the first quarter of 2008, 93 deaths were related to heparin.Baxter recalled the heparin products in February 2008 because of the spike in the number of the allergic reactions. It is believed that the oversulfated chondroitin sulfate was put intentionally in heparin by suppliers in China. Prior to this latest Baxter recall, the company received heparin's active ingredient from U.S. based Scientific Protein Laboratories. Heparin's active pharmaceutical ingredient is derived from pig intestines.

Earlier this year, the FDA tallied more than 90 reports of deaths and more than 1,000 adverse events associated with patients in the U.S. who had one or more allergic reactions to heparin products, including those sold by Baxter since Jan. 1, 2007. Clinical information is insufficient to specify the cause of death with clinical certainty.