The Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that they are investigating 53 incidents of dialysis patients having developed allergic reactions after receiving injections of heparin made by Baxter Healthcare Corp.
Last week Baxter voluntarily recalled specific batches of heparin due to reports of adverse events however, the extent of the problem was unknown until the CDC released the information on Friday.
The recalled batches have been tested for bacteria and endotoxin but neither was present. "We don't know what the problem is," but heparin remains the leading candidate as the cause, said Dr. Priti Patel, a CDC investigator.
To prevent blood clotting during the dialysis process, kidney patients receive heparin and the allergic reaction occured within minutes of the commencement of the dialysis process. Most patients affected improved after stopping the dialysis session or after being treated with antihistamines or steroids. Symptoms included facial swelling, nausea, rapid heart beat and decreased blood pressure.
The CDC is continuing to analyze information so as to determine the exact cause of the contamination of the heparin.
[Source: YahooNews]
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» FDA Finds Contaminant in Recalled Heparin from PharmaGazette
At the end of January Baxter Healthcare issued a voluntary recall of specific batches of their heparin products due to reports of adverse events. On Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that test had revealed a "heparin-like c... [Read More]
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