Tainted Heparin Shines Light on Funding-Starved FDA's Inability to Protect USA Drug Supply

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Tag(s): China; Drug Safety; Drugs; FDA; FDA; Starving Government
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March 25, 2008 at 08:35:24

Headlined on 3/25/08:
Tainted Heparin Shines Light on Funding-Starved FDA's Inability to Protect USA Drug Supply

by John R Moffett Page 2 of 2 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

Now that the contaminant has been identified it becomes much simpler to outline a possible scenario for what happened. It is not known if the pig farmers who collected the pig intestines and processed the crude heparin extracts could have known enough to have produced the contaminant. However, it would be a simple matter of reacting the cartilage extract with sulfuric acid in order to increase the sulfur content to that found in heparin. It may be some time before we find out which portion of the supply chain from crude extracts to finished heparin that batches were spiked with highly sulfated chondroitin sulfate, but it is virtually impossible that this could have happened accidentally. To my knowledge there is no possible commercial use for sulfated chondroitin sulfate except that it would have heparin-like properties and be difficult to differentiate from real heparin. That is until it was injected into human patients, many of whom became extremely ill, while some became so ill they died.

The F.D.A. has received over 785 reports of injuries and serious adverse reactions associated with the use of tainted heparin in the US, with at least 19 deaths attributed to the contaminated blood thinner. As reported by the Washington Post, a series of independent assessments, including one by the FDA’s own Science Board, have found that the FDA is increasingly overwhelmed by its responsibilities, and is no longer capable of protecting the public from unsafe drugs and food, particularly those coming from China. There is a growing consensus on Capitol Hill that the FDA needs a rapid infusion of money if it is to protect the US food and drug supplies. Based on recent stories of toxic pet food, lead-filled children’s toys, and toxic pharmaceuticals, that is probably an understatement.

Final note: The US government under George Bush is spending billions of dollars a week to supposedly protect you from terrorism, while at the same time spending far, far less to protect American’s food and drug supplies. Obviously, the government’s priorities are not matched to the realities of our modern, globalized world.

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5 comments

It is never the masses that make the difference, it is always the individual which makes the difference. Thank you for letting me be myself today.
Jeanette DoneyIt is never the masses that make the difference, it is always the individual which makes the difference. Thank you for letting me be myself today.

Money isn't the solution

Giving money to a corrupt government doesn't clean it up.

by Jeanette Doney (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 302 comments) on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 12:05:04 PM

Dr. John Moffett is an active research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area, who has published articles on the nervous and immune systems. Dr. Moffett is also the author and webmaster of the political opinion website www.Factinista.org, and is a Managing Editor at OpEdNews.com.
John R MoffettDr. John Moffett is an active research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area, who has published articles on the nervous and immune systems. Dr. Moffett is also the author and webmaster of the political opinion website www.Factinista.org, and is a Managing Editor at OpEdNews.com.

Agreed

I kept the editorializing to a minimum at the end, but to actually fix the FDA would take a complete overhaul, and all new management.

They would also need lots of additional funding, after the cronies were thrown out, and the system fixed.

Fixing it, and the other agencies, can't begin until Republicans are out of power. That means no meaningful corrections can begin until 2009… if McCain isn’t elected president.

by John R Moffett (71 articles, 11 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 526 comments) on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 12:58:55 PM

JUST A CONCERN CITIZEN AND LOVE MY COUNTRY GREW UP IN A SMALL FISHING TOWN IN NJ,BUT THE DAY I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE,SPENT MOST OF MY TIME EXPANSING MY MINE. LEARNED A LOT THE HARD WAY,BUT MOSTLY STREET SMART. AT 65 HAVE PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHO THE SNAKES ARE.
RICHARD SHADEJUST A CONCERN CITIZEN AND LOVE MY COUNTRY GREW UP IN A SMALL FISHING TOWN IN NJ,BUT THE DAY I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE,SPENT MOST OF MY TIME EXPANSING MY MINE. LEARNED A LOT THE HARD WAY,BUT MOSTLY STREET SMART. AT 65 HAVE PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHO THE SNAKES ARE.

THERE IS ONLY ONE FIX

AND THATS DR RON PAUL, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LET HIM SLIP THROUGH THEIR MASS MEDIA DECEPTION FINGERS. AND YES GREAT ARTICLE, THANK YOU. YOU OPEN THIS CAN OF WORMS, DON;T STOP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN MORE.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 459 comments) on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 2:50:15 AM

ONE MORE THING

YOU SAID IF MC-CAIN ISN'T ELECTED PRESIDENT, THE QUESTION IS WHO WILL ELECT HIM ?

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 459 comments) on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 2:54:18 AM

Clueless Americans

He's the only "white guy" running, and America has a big history of electing only white men to the presidency.

By the way, wouldn't Dr. Paul eliminate the FDA, along with the IRS?

by John R Moffett (71 articles, 11 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 526 comments) on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 8:05:24 AM

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