Heparin supplier APP Pharmaceuticals launches patient safety site

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. The sole supplier of heparin sodium vials for the United States has launched a Web site to educate the public on the heparin manufacturing process and reduce heparin-related medication errors.

APP Pharmaceuticals announced Thursday that it had launched the site, “Working Together for Patient Safety,” at www.apppharma.com/safety, to coincide with the midyear clinical meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in Orlando, Fla., from Dec. 7 to 11.

“This initiative is driven by our responsibility to ensure a safe and ample supply of heparin for the thousands of patients who rely on this medication every day,” APP president and chief executive officer Thomas Silberg said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide clinicians and the general public with an understanding of the multifaceted process that goes into the manufacturing and testing of each vial of heparin.”

Heparin has been the cause of some controversy lately as hundreds of patients have had medical emergencies or died from using contaminated supplies of the drug from China.