FDA Raises Estimate of Deaths Linked to Blood Thinner - ingredients from China

FDA Raises Estimate of Deaths Linked to Blood Thinner - washingtonpost.comBy Marc Kaufman | Washington Post | Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 9, 2008; Page A03

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday raised from 19 to 62 its estimate of the number of people who may have died after having allergic reactions to contaminated Chinese-produced batches of the blood thinner heparin.
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In previous statements, the agency said it did not know whether the cheaper contaminant -- which may have come from pig cartilage -- was deliberately added to the crude heparin or was the result of a production problem.

China is now the world's largest producer of the raw ingredients in heparin. The contaminated batches of the drug have increased concerns among lawmakers and the public about the globalization of drug-manufacturing in lightly regulated nations. ...