However it's oversulfated version does not occur naturally. The key ingredient of the lots of heparin was imported from China and the product was recalled Feb. 28. No new deaths have been reported since that time.
According to China's health officials the product was manufactured at the Changzhou Kaipu Biochemical Co. The factory's share-holder, Scientific Protein Laboratories (SPL), imports the raw heparin from the Chinese factory and supplies it to Baxter International, one of the major heparin producers in the United States.
However the officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say they are not sure if the contaminant was added accidentally or deliberately into the product. An investigation is in progress.
Condroitin sulfate is a compound in the same family as heparin but oversulfated condroitin sulfate would be less expensive to make than heparin. FDA is not certain that the contaminant is to blame for the allergic reactions.
Another brand of heparin has also been recalled in Germany after 80 patients became sick. The German manufacturer also lists the source as another Chinese supplier.
