Personal injury lawsuit filed against makers of contaminated drug Heparin

CAMDEN, N.J. A personal lawsuit against Baxter Healthcare has been filed following a near fatal reaction to the contaminated prescription drug Heparin, according to published reports.

Accounts of deaths and hundreds of severe allergic reactions stemmed from an active ingredient in the drug, which was identified as a chemically altered form of chondroitin sulfate. According to published reports, the chemical serves as a dietary supplement made from animal cartilage that is used to treat joint pain.

The contamination was rooted in China, where the drug is manufactured. The Federal Drug Administration filed a report on March 19 alerting the public of the dangers of taking the Heparin, and the medications were almost immediately recalled as a result.

“Prescription drug manufacturers have a duty to produce products that are safe and free of dangerous ingredients,” stated Wendy Fleishman of the New York City office of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein. “Only through a lawsuit or otherwise making a claim against Baxter can patients obtain compensation for their injuries. The American public needs the drug companies, like Baxter, to take responsibility for the safety of their products—especially those like Heparin, which are manufactured in part in China.”

The suit claims that Baxter did not adequately inspect the product before selling it, making them negligent, and as a result contributing to many unnecessary deaths.