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Bad Molecule: Baxter Points Finger At China Supplier In Heparin Case
By Paul Midler | March 5, 2008
The U.S. company whose blood thinner was responsible for as many deaths and injuries at home is now claiming that the problem originated with a China supplier. Most companies that have taken a hit due to quality problems in China have been a bit more politic, and so have the traditional media outlets that report on such cases. I quite liked the Washington Post’s coverage on this one:
“…Baxter’s high-tech testing of batches of the problem drug found signs of what it called a ‘heparin-like molecule’ - a substance not found in batches of problem-free heparin.”
This business about a “molecule” sounds like science fiction, pretty disturbing anyway. Let’s hope at least that it stirs up discussion on counterfeiting in the chemicals sector. It’s a serious issue for China, though in this case I am not convinced that this was about a supplier trying to copy some molecule out there. From a political standpoint, the finger pointing is going to make for some interesting reactions in China.
Interestingly enough, I ran a post last August titled “China’s Product Recall Guessing Game”. People had been asking where I thought the next product recall was going to come from, as if I had any idea. A few broad criteria came to mind., and I jotted down four things that concerned me, in particular. In my third point, I suggested that importers be very concerned about chemicals. In the fourth, I suggested that they stay away from any China-made products that relied upon FDA approval in the United States.
Topics: China |
March 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Why must it be so much more expensive to manufacture chemicals and the such in Western countries?
Honestly, this is a question from someone not in-the-know here. I don’t get it.
It just seems to me that chemicals and pharms are somethings that could be done in the home market at a not too terribly high cost?
Is it the labor only? I mean, China can’t possibly have ALL the raw materials, right?
Thanks.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Some very good points there. Some things should not have been manufactured in China until the economy was further developed.