On 2/11/08 Baxter HealthCare Corp. announced that it would stop producing the blood thinner heparin, after numerous reports of serious allergic reactions and patient deaths. Baxter produces half of the heparin sold in the United States. The drug is most commonly used to prevent blood clots in patients undergoing kidney dialysis and heart surgery. Since the end of December, there have been about 350 reports of adverse reactions associated with Baxter's heparin product.

The FDA said that the problem was first reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which had seen several cases in one pediatric hospital starting in November. Most of the allergic reactions have occurred in dialysis centers, in patients receiving a high dose of heparin in a short period of time. Currently, the cause of the allergic reactions is still unknown.

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