Heparin Purity - China Doesn't Seem to Care
Last summer China got some outrageous publicity, when it executed the individual responsible for the poisons that got into US Pet Food. Apparently, the Chinese government is less concerned about the health of American people. It was reported today that the Chinese government is washing its hands to the quality of the raw ingredients which make up the Heparin sold by Baxter, which has resulted in deaths and hundreds of adverse reactions here.
According to a story published by the Wall Street Journal:
"The Chinese FDA said it works with foreign regulators to monitor factories, but the ultimate responsibility for “safeguarding the legality, quality and safety of active pharmaceutical ingredients” lies with the importing nation, the WSJ’s Gordon Fairclough reports.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/02/27
So who is to blame? Clearly, Baxter, as the producer of this product, must have ultimate responsibility, as must its Wisconsin based partner, Scientific Protein Labroratories, based in Waunakee, WI, who had the joint venture with the Chinese company that imported the toxic product. But can our government continue to have bureaucratic snafus that cost American lives? Can the Bush adminstration continue to tolerate a "wash our hands" attitude from China about safety? The political controversy this week swirls around safety issues and NAFTA. But shouldn't this issue of the Chinese government saying "whatever", sound just as loudly?
While one can argue a synergistic growth to the North American economy from NAFTA, how can one argue that we benefit by shipping the production of essential drugs like heparin, which require the processing of pigs, to a place where we can't practically monitor and the producers don't prioritize safety? I do think, on the threshold, Baxter must explain why American pigs were incapable of being used to make heparin. Clearly, there is no shortage of pork within a hundred miles of Baxter's headquarters in suburban Chicago.
Next: Baxter Didn't Know About Absence of Inspection
Gordon Johnson is the Owner of the Johnson Law Office.
