BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Baxter cardiovascular news

May 5, 2008 7:00 AM UTC

Baxter testified that its heparin product appeared to be the “target of a deliberate adulteration scheme” at a hearing on heparin contamination held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on oversight and investigations. Baxter said the contaminant found in its heparin was introduced before the crude material reached Scientific Protein Laboratories LLC (Waunakee, Wis.), which produces Baxter's heparin API. Baxter said it is still trying to understand where in the supply chain the contaminant was introduced.

In its testimony before the subcommittee, Scientific Protein characterized the contamination as an “intentional introduction of a synthetic contaminant into the crude heparin supply in China.” In March, Baxter and FDA identified the contaminant as hypersulfated chondroitin sulfate, a chemically modified form of chondroitin sulfate, which is used as a dietary supplement (see BioCentury, March 24). ...