WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. health regulators have identified the contaminant found in Baxter International's blood thinner heparin, which may be to blame for 19 deaths.
The Food and Drug Administration says a chemical compound called oversulfated chondroitin sulfate has been found in samples of the drug tied to death and allergic reactions.
FDA staff say the chemical comes from a family similar to heparin, but that it is not approved in the U.S. or abroad as a medical treatment.
FDA drug center director Janet Woodcocks says the agency can't rule whether it was deliberately introduced into the product, but is 99 percent sure it's not a natural component.
Baxter is based in Deerfield, Ill.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement