Blood thinner facility not licensed to make drugs

A Chinese factory that supplies much of the active ingredient for a brand of blood thinner linked to four deaths in the US has not been certified by the SFDA, China’s drug regulator, to make pharmaceutical products, the New York Times reported. Sincethe plant, Changzhou SPL, has no drug certification, it was not inspected by the SFDA. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also did not inspect the plant before allowing the company to become a major supplier of the blood thinner, heparin, to Baxter International in the United States. The facility in China has not yet been accused of making a harmful product. Representatives from the FDA plan to inspect the plant.