Heparin deaths evoke emotion from Toledo surviving spouses

Two Toledoans testified Tuesday in front of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in Washington on the government’s need for safer U.S. drug supplies, specifically referring to heparin, a popular blood thinner used during dialysis and open-heart surgery.  

Both people who testified lost family members to complications caused by the drug, which were administered in local Toledo health care facilities.  

From January 2007 until February 2008, at least 81 wrongful deaths have been linked to heparin, as well as 785 personal injuries from allergic reactions. The Toledo Blade reports that 62 of the 81 heparin deaths occurred between November 2007 and February 2008.  

According to the New York Times, controversy surrounds heparin that the drug was intentionally contaminated, as found in the written testimony Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's drug center. That is why stricter laws requiring more inspections of overseas companies may help the problem of unsafe drugs.