Contaminated heparin from China may have been deliberate...

[Manedwolf]

Why are we getting DRUGS from the land of no standards, again?

 

Heparin contaminated 'on purpose'

America's drugs watchdog believes that Chinese-made ingredients for a blood-thinning drug may have been deliberately contaminated.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said earlier that a chemical contaminant had been found in some batches of the drug heparin.

It has linked the contaminant to hundreds of severe allergic reactions and dozens of deaths across the US.

An FDA director said when and how the toxin had been introduced was unclear.

"FDA's working hypothesis is that this was intentional contamination, but this is not yet proven," Director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Janet Woodcock told a congressional hearing.

Heparin is used in kidney dialysis and in some types of surgery to prevent blood clots.

'Deliberate scheme'

The contaminated stocks were made by Baxter International, using China-based suppliers.

According to the FDA, a chemical called oversulphated chondroitin sulphate has been found in supplies in 13 countries.

Baxter International Chief Executive Robert Parkinson said the company was "alarmed that one of our products was used in what appears to have been a deliberate scheme to adulterate a life-saving medication".

The company has recalled the heparin and imports from the Chinese supplier have been blocked.

Chinese officials have acknowledged the presence of the contaminant.

But they say it is not to blame for the allergic reactions or deaths, citing a lack of incidents in more than 10 other countries which have received the same contaminated stocks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7375057.stm

[Sindawe]

Hmmm...Contaminated pet food from china, kids toys with lead based paints, now IV drugs that are not what they are not what they are supposed to be.  While tin-foil hat wearers might want to attribute this to evil intent, I suspect the answer is the same as that for Manedwolf's question.

Why are we getting DRUGS from the land of no standards, again?

Profit.

Oversulfated chondroitin sulfate” is not a product extracted from biological sources -- it is synthesized through a sulfation chemical reaction from the biological molecule. The synthesis process that uses different solvents and reagents such as the toxic pyridine. The resulting product contains 3 or 4 sulfate groups per disaccharide and therefore its structure differs considerably from the original one.

Source: http://allergynotes.blogspot.com/

I suspect that the reagents used to produce the contaminate are cheaper than those used to process heparin, while the end product passed general muster on quality assays (like the cheap-ass containment in pet foods did for total protein content).  Less cost to the supplier at the same price to the consumer = profit.

So a few thousand pets/kids/patients are killed or harmed, the companies bottom line looks good and share price remains strong. 

[mtnbkr]

Hmmm...Contaminated pet food from china, kids toys with lead based paints, now IV drugs that are not what they are not what they are supposed to be.  While tin-foil hat wearers might want to attribute this to evil intent, I suspect the answer is the same as that for Manedwolf's question.

A boutique bike company owner accused me and other folks complaining via his blog about his sourcing some parts from China of racism.  Frankly, except for low end commodity stuff, I don't know why anything has to be sourced from China.  The bike stuff in question was intended for a market that spends more on a bike that many folks spend on a car (not even racerboy stuff, but stuff for "city bikes"), yet he had to start sourcing parts from China.  Eff that.  I no longer do business with him.  He won't miss my meager purchases and I WILL miss his products, but that's life.

Chris

[Manedwolf]

Hmmm...Contaminated pet food from china, kids toys with lead based paints, now IV drugs that are not what they are not what they are supposed to be.  While tin-foil hat wearers might want to attribute this to evil intent, I suspect the answer is the same as that for Manedwolf's question.

A boutique bike company owner accused me and other folks complaining via his blog about his sourcing some parts from China of racism.  Frankly, except for low end commodity stuff, I don't know why anything has to be sourced from China.  The bike stuff in question was intended for a market that spends more on a bike that many folks spend on a car (not even racerboy stuff, but stuff for "city bikes"), yet he had to start sourcing parts from China.  Eff that.  I no longer do business with him.  He won't miss my meager purchases and I WILL miss his products, but that's life.

Chris

Well, if you're talking about quality of a high-end product being killed, Doc Marten did that, too. Their "Made in England" boots were famous for being indestructible and lasting for decades. They started as mechanic's boots, and kept that durability. Now they moved production to China, and they're wal-mart knockoff quality.

And we're talking $160-$200 boots, here.

But at least bikes and boots can't kill you. Cheapass production of an IV blood thinner, that's worrying. It's meant to be used on people who are already rather weakened, and you can't know it's bad till it kills the patient.

I really don't know whether that contaminant is a possible result of a cheaper reagent process being used, or whether someone with a grudge actually adulterated stuff heading for western markets, the FDA inquisition should be...enlightening, I hope.

[mtnbkr]

Made in China was the reason I didn't buy Doc Martins last time I bought boots.  I wouldn't have purchased the boots I have now (bought online) had I realized they were MiC.  I searched the company website (only mentioned their US business location) did searches online, etc and couldn't find any mention of MiC.  Got the boots and they are tagged "Made in China".  I have no complaints about the boots themselves, they've held up quite well (8 months so far), but I feel like I was misled.

Anyway, it floors me that drug companies would source things from China.  Why else are we paying so much for drugs if not to get the absolute best? 

Chris

[Sergeant Bob]

Made in China was the reason I didn't buy Doc Martins last time I bought boots.  I wouldn't have purchased the boots I have now (bought online) had I realized they were MiC.  I searched the company website (only mentioned their US business location) did searches online, etc and couldn't find any mention of MiC.  Got the boots and they are tagged "Made in China".  I have no complaints about the boots themselves, they've held up quite well (8 months so far), but I feel like I was misled.

Anyway, it floors me that drug companies would source things from China.  Why else are we paying so much for drugs if not to get the absolute best? 

Chris

It's no accident that the information is hard to find either, especially after all the contaminated crap that's been foisted on us. If the info were easily found, it would hurt some bottom lines.

My wife wanted a 6 qt pressure cooker so I searched for where Presto was made, and could find nothing about made in PRC. I figured they were Commie Free pans so I ordered one.
Sure enough, when it arrived it was stamped MIC. I'm not so sure I want to use it much, cause who knows what might be leeching out of that metal when you heat it.

This is one case (OP and others like it) where the government should be diligently regulating industry.

[Manedwolf]

It's pretty much impossible to find a small appliance that's not made in China. For example, NO toasters are not made in China, except for a few $200+ high-end Italian or European brands. Zero toasters are made in the US. At all.

Only alternative is to buy one of the rebuilt American classic deco ones, like the old Sunbeam toasters that have had thermal protection fuses added. There's a brisk business in those here, as well as classic heavy American chromed waffle irons, coffee pots, and other small kitchen items.

What really shocked me as far as kitchen goods is the decline of Williams-Sonoma. When I was little, their stuff was all Italian and German and Swiss-made things, all the little spatulas and ice-cream scoops. My parents still have a 1980's Croque-Monsieur maker made for them by a company in France, and it still works, a heavy-gauge restaurant-grade chunk of metal with a spring-shielded cord and all. Produces perfectly toasted sandwiches with a scallop pattern. The double "WS" logo was engraved and enameled as a badge in the Bakelite handle. It was costly, and worth it.

Now their stores only have mostly MADE IN CHINA kitchen crap that's of no higher quality than stuff than you'd find in any big-box place.

[MicroBalrog]

What is the issue with made-in-China toasters, outside of a general opposition to Chinese Communism?

I would not think that there is a way in which one toaster can be better than another toaster.

I mean, it's just two plates of steel and you put your toast between them and they heat it. How hard can making two steel plates that heat up be?

[Manedwolf]

What is the issue with made-in-China toasters, outside of a general opposition to Chinese Communism?

I would not think that there is a way in which one toaster can be better than another toaster.

I mean, it's just two plates of steel and you put your toast between them and they heat it. How hard can making two steel plates that heat up be?

Quality control, or lack thereof. Any heating appliance has the capability to cause a fire if it's wired wrong or just poorly by people who don't care.

Plus, just quality. It's pretty usual for the elements on one side of a toast slot to give out after just a couple years, or the ejector mechanism to fail due to the use of substandard materials like zinc alloy.

There's no plates of steel involved. Toasters heat through electrically resistive wire grids that heat to incandescence. There is also a thermostat, a thermal protection fuse, the link between the thermostat and the ejector and mechanism that breaks the circuit to the grid on ejection, all those.

Even if it doesn't stop when it's supposed to, items like pop-tarts can and will ignite with a pretty spectacular jet of blue flame, google for "pop tart fire".

[The Annoyed Man]

Made in China was the reason I didn't buy Doc Martins last time I bought boots.  I wouldn't have purchased the boots I have now (bought online) had I realized they were MiC.  I searched the company website (only mentioned their US business location) did searches online, etc and couldn't find any mention of MiC.  Got the boots and they are tagged "Made in China".  I have no complaints about the boots themselves, they've held up quite well (8 months so far), but I feel like I was misled.

Anyway, it floors me that drug companies would source things from China.  Why else are we paying so much for drugs if not to get the absolute best? 

Chris

You want some Doc Martens tagged Made In England? They are still made, atleast some of the classical models, but I'm not sure they are named Doc Martens. I could look it up if you want to.
FWIW, I bought a pair of Docs when I was, hm, 17 I believe. Had heard about all kinds of greatness about Docs. I wore holes in them in less than 3 years. Admittedly, I did abuse the hell out of them, but OTOH I was pretty good at polishing up the leather and applying leathercare-products.

[The Annoyed Man]

This is most probably just the tip of the iceberg.  But what can you do?  AFAIK, there's no way to determine where drugs come from.  So why the hell are we funding the FDA?

[roo_ster]

Why are we getting DRUGS from the land of no standards, again?

Because we don't trust them to make dog food?

[Gewehr98]

Kind of old news, actually.

Scientific Protein Laboratories in Waunakee, just down the road from me in Token Creek, is one major importer of the tainted heparin.

It's been all over the Madison-area news for quite some time, and SPL is taking a big hit from the Feds.

As for Riley's question, that's an easy answer.  Nobody here in the States wants to work for less than $10.00/hr, and even $15.00/hr is beneath many.  We 'Merkins have priced ourselves out of our own labor market for a long, long time, so outsourcing has become a way of life. I have a sneaking suspicion that's gonna change real soon. I see a lot of senior citizens Riley's age working checkout at WalMart these days.   

[The Annoyed Man]

As for Riley's question, that's an easy answer.  Nobody here in the States wants to work for less than $10.00/hr, and even $15.00/hr is beneath many.  We 'Merkins have priced ourselves out of our own labor market for a long, long time, so outsourcing has become a way of life. I have a sneaking suspicion that's gonna change real soon. I see a lot of senior citizens Riley's age working checkout at WalMart these days.   

And that's only because we've (apparently) decided that the corporate bottom line is more important than the average American's standard of living.  I think that's a misplaced priority.  Tainted/poison drugs are only one result when profits trump all else. 

The time is overdue to respect and protect the individual over the corporation.