FDA: Contaminated Heparin Found in 11 Countries

Contaminated heparin products have now been found in at least 10 countries, not including the United States, leading to ongoing surveillance measures to ensure the safety of the blood thinner, U.S. health officials announced Monday.

or OSCS -- may be responsible for dozens of deaths and hundreds of adverse reactions in the United States associated with contaminated heparin between roughly last November and February. The heparin was marketed by Baxter International Inc., of Deerfield, Ill.

"We do not know where the contamination occurred but we do know ... of at least 12 Chinese firms that are in the supply chain for contaminated heparin," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said at a news conference.

According to the FDA, contaminated heparin has now been linked to as many as 81 deaths and hundreds of injuries in United States, and well as some incidents in ...