Concerns for travelers to China Olympics

Almost a million travelers from around the world are expected to travel to Beijing next week for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.  Another couple of million Chinese citizens are expected to travel to the city for the event, too. Read more

China Publicly Disputes Tainted Heparin Origin

Officials for the United States met with the Chinese regarding the origin of the tainted heparin that sparked a rash of allergic reactions and several dozen US deaths lately but failed to reach an agreement as to where the contaminant in the drug actually came from and whether the contaminant did, in fact, cause the adverse reactions. Read more

China Gets Serious About Heparin Contamination

China’s State Food and Drug Administration has issued a directive to the makers of heparin and heparin-related products to purchase supplies from only registered suppliers and to strengthen quality control standards. The safety of the raw ingredients has come under fire lately, prompting many recalls around the world, including the United States. Read more

Heparin Stopped at the Border

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is taking action against shipments of heparin coming into the country from China after an influx of reports describing allergic reactions, including four fatalities, which may be linked to contaminated product. All shipments reaching the US border will now be tested for contamination before further distribution. Read more

China Behind Japanese Recall of US-Made Heparin

Three Japanese companies recently recalled the drug, heparin, because its manufacturer in Wisconsin uses ingredients from China. They cite precaution as their reason for the recall. Scientific Protein Laboratories in Waunakee, Wisconsin, gets its product from its own plant in China. It also provides the active ingredient in heparin to Baxter International Inc., in Deerfield. Last month, the Scientific Protein plant in China was forced to close after hundreds of people in the US reported life-threatening allergic reactions, at least four of which resulted in death, to the heparin linked to the China source. Read more

Smoking Increases Risk of Stroke in China

A multinational study of the effects of smoking cigarettes on the people of China has led to the alarming conclusion that smokers face serious risk of stroke, with the risk increasing the longer and heavier a person smokes. Read more

China Says…

China’s State Food and Drug Administration said in a recent released statement that it is the receiving country’s responsibility to ensure the safety of pharmaceutical ingredients they import from other countries. Read more