WASHINGTON — Baxter International Inc. said its blood thinner heparin, linked to 81 deaths, appears to have been deliberately contaminated.
The main ingredient was contaminated before reaching the Chinese factory of Baxter’s supplier, Scientific Protein Laboratories, executives of both companies testified at a U.S. House hearing Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration suspects the contamination was deliberate, though there isn’t proof, according to the agency.
Baxter recalled heparin, used to prevent blood clots, in January after reports of harmful side effects. Since January 2007, 81 people have died after allergic reactions, the FDA has said. Tainted heparin made by other drugmakers has been found in more than a dozen countries.
“We’re alarmed that one of our products was used in what appears to have been a deliberate scheme to adulterate a lifesaving medication,” Baxter chief executive Robert Parkinson told lawmakers.
