title: The heparin recall of 2008.
abstract: Heparin is one of the oldest drugs still in widespread clinical use. Its discovery in 1916 predates the establishment of the Food and Drug Administration. Since 1935, over 15,000 research papers have been published on the effects of heparin. Because the exact chemical formula of heparin is unknown, synthetic manufacturing has proven difficult. In 2008, a worldwide recall of heparin occurred. Scientists determined that a contaminant known as oversulfated chondroitin sulfate was responsible for the numerous deaths and adverse events. This contaminant was first traced to a chemical plant in Changzou, China. This article will review the discovery of heparin and the adulteration process that jeopardized the world's heparin supply.
authors.affiliation: The Michael E. DeBakey Heart Institute, Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas 67601, USA. khedlund@haysmed.com
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Hedlund
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Coyne
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sanford
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huddelson
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D004340:Drug Contamination; D056736:Drug Recalls; D006493:Heparin; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates