Baxter International

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Hospitals Nationwide Could Suffer Because of Helene

Baxter facility in North Carolina was damaged, and impact to IV fluid supply will reverberate

(Newser) - One unintended consequence of Hurricane Helene is being felt in hospitals around the country: a reduction in the amount of IV fluids available. NBC News reports four companies manufacture the bulk of IV fluids in the US, and Baxter International is chief among them, handling about 60% of the market....

Puerto Rico Hurricane Affecting US Hospitals in a Big Way

Saline solution bags, a basic medical staple, are in short supply because makers on island hit hard

(Newser) - A shortage of saline was already an issue in US hospitals. Now the country is teetering on "the brink of a significant public health crisis," per a letter earlier this month from the American Hospital Association to Congress. It all comes down to a problem with the bags...

Heparin Victims Testify on Hill
 Heparin Victims Testify on Hill 
Apr 29, 2008 4:30 PM CDT

Heparin Victims Testify on Hill

Man outraged that drug was approved for sale

(Newser) - Relatives of some of the 81 Americans whose deaths have been linked to tainted heparin told a Congressional subcommittee about their experiences today, Reuters reports. An Ohio man wept as he told lawmakers his wife and son, who had a genetic kidney disease, died within a month after being given...

Deadly Heparin Found in 11 Nations
Deadly Heparin Found in
11 Nations
Apr 22, 2008 7:17 AM CDT

Deadly Heparin Found in 11 Nations

FDA traces tainted Chinese blood thinner that killed 81

(Newser) - The FDA has traced a contaminated blood thinner from a Chinese factory to 11 countries, the New York Times reports. Severe reactions to the contaminated heparin have been linked to the deaths of 81 Americans, but it wasn't immediately clear if the drug may have triggered fatalities in other countries....

Feds ID Extra Drug in Baxter's Recalled Heparin

FDA unsure if chemical was behind reactions to blood-thinner

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration has identified the extra ingredient found in samples of Baxter’s blood-thinning drug heparin, the Wall Street Journal reports today. Some batches of the drug—recalled in January after reports of allergic reactions—contained over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate, but it is not certain that was the...

Quaid Speaks Out on Medical Mistakes

CBS interview highlights nationwide epidemic of preventable deaths

(Newser) - Dennis Quaid has gone on record about the frightening ordeal of his newborn twins receiving massive overdoses of blood thinners, and now he's going on 60 Minutes to ratchet up his information campaign. Quaid's interview, which will be broadcast tomorrow evening, uses his own harrowing story to highlight medical errors...

Blood Thinner Woes Hit Germany
Blood Thinner Woes Hit Germany
Mar 7, 2008 8:32 AM CST

Blood Thinner Woes Hit Germany

100 may have been sickened by heparin not tied to Baxter

(Newser) - Heparin blood thinners may have sickened as many as 100 people in Germany, health officials report. The FDA is currently investigating the drug after it was linked to 19 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions in the US, possibly due to contaminants from China. The agency is now recommending that...

FDA Finds Contaminant in Blood Thinner

Substance discovered in heparin, linked to 19 deaths nationwide

(Newser) - The FDA has found a contaminant in samples of heparin, a blood thinner produced mainly in China linked to 19 deaths and nearly 800 allergic reactions in the US, the New York Times reports. The contaminant may be a counterfeit form of heparin added to reduce its manufacturing cost. The...

Possible Heparin Deaths Increase; Recall Expands

FDA investigating 'deficiencies' at plant in China

(Newser) - Baxter International has expanded its recall of heparin products as the FDA said the number of deaths possibly linked to the blood thinner rose from 4 to 21, the New York Times reports. The agency said it found "deficiencies" at a Chinese plant that supplied the active ingredient. Baxter,...

Heparin Supply Chain Shaky in China
Heparin
Supply Chain Shaky in China
Feb 28, 2008 2:07 PM CST

Heparin Supply Chain Shaky in China

Troubles could trace back to vulnerable raw materials

(Newser) - With at least four US patients dead and hundreds suffering complications from the blood-thinning drug heparin, the New York Times follows the supply chain back to Chinese slaughterhouses that deal with the pig intestines that provide raw material for the drug. Though companies say the chain is secure, the Times...

FDA Approved Wrong China Firm
FDA Approved Wrong China Firm
Feb 19, 2008 6:26 AM CST

FDA Approved Wrong China Firm

Hundreds ill, 4 dead after using heparin from factory never inspected

(Newser) - The Chinese facility that supplied the active ingredient of the blood-thinner heparin, linked to hundreds of adverse reactions and four US deaths, was never inspected by the FDA because the agency confused it with another plant of the same name, the Washington Post reports. The company was given approval based...

Chinese Factory Linked to Deadly US Drug

Blood-thinner 's active ingredient from plant not FDA inspected

(Newser) - The active ingredient in a drug linked to four deaths and hundreds of adverse reactions in the US has been traced to a Chinese factory which has never been inspected by the FDA, reports the Wall Street Journal. The drug is a blood-thinner made by Baxter International, a   version...

Quaids Sue Drug Firm Over OD
Quaids Sue Drug Firm Over OD
Dec 5, 2007 9:00 AM CST

Quaids Sue Drug Firm Over OD

Actor alleges packaging led to infants' nearly fatal overdose

(Newser) - Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife filed a lawsuit against Baxter International, maker of the blood thinner Heparin, after their newborn twins nearly died of an overdose, the Chicago Tribune reports. The couple said Baxter was negligent because it packaged two different strengths of the drug, one a thousand times...

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