Baxter: Heparin Problem At Hospital Unrelated To Product Quality
May 15 2009 - 2:46PM
Dow Jones News
Baxter International Inc. (BAX) said Friday it has finished
investigating the deaths of two patients who took the company's
heparin products and found quality issues didn't relate to their
deaths.
An array of forensic and analytical tests verify the heparin
products were pure and didn't contain any contaminants, Deerfield,
Ill.-based Baxter said in a statement.
Baxter flew a team of physicians, pharmacists and nurses to
Beebe Medical Center in Delaware within 24 hours of receiving
reports last week that three patients at the hospital suffered from
intracranial bleeding. Two of the patients died. The company said
the intracranial bleeding was a result of other complications
suffered by the patients unrelated to heparin.
"Following extensive product testing and further medical
evaluation, we are confident that the events at Beebe Medical
Center are unfortunate, isolated, institution-specific issues,
unrelated to the quality of Baxter's heparin," said Camille Farhat
of Baxter in a statement.
-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9207;
jared.favole@dowjones.com