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Have your suffered serious side effects from Heparin treatments?
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Heparin Attorneys

Colorado, Wyoming, Ohio, and Nationwide

Heparin was first introduced into clinical use in the 1930s when it was found to work as an anticoagulant, or blood thinner.  Heparin is routinely administered during heart surgery and kidney dialysis and is used to treat blood clots.

In early 2008, Baxter Healthcare Corporation announced a series of recalls of single- and multi-dose Heparin due to reports of severe adverse reactions.  In total, Baxter recalled over 22,000,000 vials of Heparin.  It was eventually found that the active ingredient in Baxter’s Heparin, which was being manufactured in China, had been contaminated with oversulfated chondroitin sulfate [OSCS].  OSCS is a synthetically created compound that mimics Heparin in certain types of chemical analysis.   Over 100 deaths have been attributed to OSCS contaminated Heparin.  A timeline on Heparin Recallcan be found here.

The raw ingredient in Heparin is derived from pig intestines.  Baxter’s raw material source, Changzhou SPL, located in China, obtains its source materials from consolidators who process pork products obtained from small family run farms and workshops. The Changzhou SPL Plant was never inspected by FDA before the recall.  FDA has theorized that during the manufacturing process in China the contaminant was deliberately introduced.  FDA reached this conclusion because the substance OSCS cannot be found in nature. Subsequent to the recall, an FDA inspection revealed numerous serious safety violations at the Changzhou SPL plant.

In April, at a House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee hearing, family members testified about the death of their loved ones due to being given tainted Heparin. FDA announced in July of 2008 that several deaths have been definitely linked to contaminated Heparin.

While Baxter recalled all its single and multi-dose vials of Heparin by February 28, 2008, inspectors at hospitals in California found contaminated Heparin remained on hospital shelves as late as June of 2008.  If your family member underwent kidney dialysis or heart surgery or was treated for blood clots from September 13, 2007 through the spring of 2008 and suffered unexpected death or serious medical complications, they may have been injured by contaminated Heparin.. You should contact an experienced Heparin attorney to see if contaminated Heparin was used during their hospitalization or dialysis treatment.  If so, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturer or others.

The Heparin attorneys at Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh and Jardine, P.C. are currently focusing on claims surrounding this defective drug. Janet G. Abaray of Burg Simpson’s Cincinnati, Ohio office has been appointed to the Heparin Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee by Chief Judge Carr of the Northern District of Ohio. The Executive Committee acts as the leadership group on behalf of Heparin plaintiffs in all federal court cases.

Please contact the experienced Heparin attorneys at Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh and Jardine, P.C. if you or a loved one has been sickened by contaminated Heparin.