Resources for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Chemical Contaminating Heparin – No Longer a Secret for the FDA

www.efluxmedia.com

U.S. health officials have identified the mysterious substance, which contaminated some batches of the blood thinner heparin associated with 19 deaths and are trying to determine how the chemical got into the drug.

The substance is a man-made chemical compound known as over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate which is much cheaper than heparin. Chondroitin sulfate is a natural compound that occurs widely and is used as a dietary supplement but the over-sulfated version has not been widely studied.

“Right now, people should not be alarmed. We have not received any more reports of fatalities of this type since the recall on Feb. 28. We cannot rule in or out whether this was accidentally or deliberately introduced into the product. We are investigating how it got in,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, head of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Associated Press reported.

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