FDA Detects 'Contaminant' In Drug Supplied by China
By The Washington Post | March 6, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration has detected a "contaminant" in many samples of Chinese-supplied heparin that may be the cause of hundreds of severe and sometimes deadly allergic reactions to the blood-thinning drug, agency officials said yesterday. Chief Medical Officer Janet Woodcock said the agency is investigating whether the presence of the contaminant, a large molecule similar to heparin, was the result of faulty manufacturing or was intentionally added to reduce costs. "We don't know how this heparin-like compound got into the heparin, but we are aggressively investigating it," Ms. Woodcock said.
