Heparin Pricetag has Doubled

Shannon Weidemann

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Heparin was recalled earlier this year due to patient injuries and death in the United States.  It is believed that raw supplies from China were contaminated with a substance chemically similar to heparin.  The components are assembled in the U.S. to make the finished drug product.  The heparin recall has forced the price to double recently.

Illinois-based APP says it's tripled production in recent months to supply the half of the U.S. market that Baxter used to serve and avert product shortages. It also says its costs for China-sourced crude heparin have risen 500% since early 2007, that it absorbed all the increased costs last year and that recent price increases don't cover all of the higher expenses.

The FDA has mandated that drug suppliers do more testing to make sure their heparin is not contaminated.  81 people may have died from allergic reactions to the contaminant.