Baxter International Inc. has assumed responsibility in the nation-wide heparin contamination that endangered the health of thousands. Though they have admitted fault for their role in the distribution of the defective drug, Baxter denies any part in “deliberate” contamination.

Reports of serious allergic reactions and deaths associated with heparin doses began late in December of 2007. By January, there were sufficient reports of adverse reactions to prompt Baxter to recall about 10 percent of their annual production of heparin.

The contamination was finally linked to heparin manufacturing plants in China last March. Since then, there have been numerous investigations to find the responsible parties, since Chinese drug manufacturing is significantly less regulated than that in the United States.

The defective drug lawyers at Cappolino Dodd  Krebs LLP take on cases of defective drugs and injury caused by negligent companies. Have you been injured due to faulty pharmaceuticals? call our Texas office today.

Some American soldiers are accusing the military contractor Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) of  putting their lives at risk by exposing them to toxic substances.

In April of 2003, James Gentry arrived in Southern Iraq to take command of more than 600 Indiana National Guardsmen who were protecting KBR contractors working at a local watering plant.

“We didn’t question what we were doing, we just knew we had to provide a security service for the KBR,” said Battalion Cmdr. Gentry. But today, James Gentry is dying from a rare form of lung cancer as a result of months of inhaling hexavalent chromium, an orange dust that is part of a toxic chemical found all over the plant.

At least one other Indiana guardsman has already died from lung cancer, and others are suffering from tumors and rashes consistent with exposure to the toxin.

There is evidence that indicates KBR knew about the deadly exposure danger months before the soldiers were informed. Depositions from KBR employees addressed concerns about the toxin in one part of the plant as early as May of 2003. KBR minutes from a later meeting state that “60 percent of the people … exhibit symptoms of exposure,” including bloody noses and rashes.

In a statement, the multi-billion dollar contractor told CBS News: “We deny the assertion that KBR harmed troops and was responsible for an unsafe condition.”

KBR says it notified the Army as soon as it identified the toxin, but some Indiana guardsmen say they only just learned of the risk. “I didn’t know I was exposed to a deadly carcinogen until five years later when I received a letter,” said Indiana National Guardsman Jody Aistrop.

As President-Elect Barack Obama’s administration comes together, one very important spot is the choice of  commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.

The next commissioner will need to be prepared for the policy and operational issues currently occurring at the FDA. Over the past few years, the FDA has received much criticism about its ability to enact drug-product safety (such as in the case of defective drugs like Vioxx) or adequately regulate manufacturers and the inspection of their facilities (in the contaminated heparin case).

Several names under consideration are Joshua Sharfstein, the commissioner of health for the city of Baltimore; Steven Nissen, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic; and Janet Woodcock, the current director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, among others.