Heparin Ingredients collected from unregulated farms, FDA claims

Up until February, 2008 Baxter Healthcare Corporation controlled about half of the heparin supply for the US, which totaled about 100,000 vials a day. After receiving hundreds of reports (including some from 2007) that patients experienced allergic reactions to the drug, Baxter recalled nine lots of its multi-dose heparin, but continued to make single-dose vials. Baxter's rationale was that, if all of its heparin was recalled, it would create a market shortage thereby creating more risk to patients relying on the drug--even though other companies produced the drug.

In the beginning of February, the Federal Drug and Administration Agency (FDA) linked four deaths to heparin but by the end of the month, the death toll rose to 28. Baxter halted production of all its product.

Another heparin company is Braun Medical Inc., a supplier of heparin in Canada. On March 21, in conjunction with Health Canada, the FDA announced that Braun recalled 23 lots (each lot contained 25,000 units) of its tainted heparin products that were distributed to the US, Canada and Australia.