A blood thinner manufactured in China and linked to dozens of deaths in the U.S. is now safe because of tighter testing and controls, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in Shanghai, China, while warning that all U.S. imports would face closer scrutiny in the future.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked 81 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions to a contaminant found in China-made shipments of the drug heparin. “We have put in place processes that we believe can ensure the safety of the heparin supply within the United States,” Leavitt told the Associated Press.
He said all exporters of food, drugs and other products must prepare to meet more stringent guidelines of quality and safety, following a raft of product-safety problems stemming from lax standards among overseas producers, especially in China. “We believe the system that we have for ensuring safety is a good one but completely inadequate for the future,” Leavitt said. Last week, the FDA urged providers to recheck their supplies to ensure that no recalled heparin was in stock. -- by the Associated Press
