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Heparin Contamination Can Be Detected With Simple Test

The blood-thinning drug heparin is highly effective in preventing and treating blood clots in veins, arteries and lungs.  However, earlier this year, some 81 people died because the heparin they were given contained a dangerous contaminant called oversulfated chondroitin sulfate.  Now, University of Michigan researchers have come up with a simple, inexpensive test for detecting contaminants in heparin, a development that could prevent such tragedies in the future.  The new method is described in a paper published online on November 14, 2008 in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

FDA Seizes Contaminated Heparin from a Cincinnati Manufacturer

On November 6, 2008, United States marshalls, acting at the request of the FDA, seized 11 lots of heparin from Celsus Laboratories Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The seized heparin, manufactured with material imported from China, had been found by the FDA to be contaminated with oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, a contaminant that mimics heparin's anticoagulant activity that has been responsible for some 81 deaths this year.