When a horrible tragedy happens, media reports try to find a place to point the finger. Although, this time a company name is being tacked on to something they had nothing to do with.
Heparin is a generic drug made by many different companies that is used to thin blood. It has recently been involved in two accidents involving babies and media reports have unfairly connecting one company to both incidents.
Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly are suing Baxter Healthcare Corp. They claimed the heparin blue labels could be confused with a less potent derivative, which reportedly led to the injury of their newborn children, according to Bloomberg.
On July 6, 17 babies in a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, were given an overdose of the drug, resulting in the death of a set of twins. Although their deaths are still being investigated.
Media reports of the incident at Christus Spohn Hospital South in Texas have been tied in with Quaid's lawsuit against Baxter over heparin even though the two cases are unrelated and Baxter has confirmed it did not manufacture the heparin used in the Texas accident.
“The maker of the drug has increased the size of the label by 20 percent and added red warning signs to adult doses” in response to the Quaid accident, reporter Mike Von Fremd said of Baxter’s drug on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” July 10 in a segment on the
In the online version of the story, Von Fremd and Imaeyen Ibanga identified the drug maker by name July 10: “Drugmaker Baxter International has increased the size of the label by 20 percent and added red warning signs to adult doses,” they wrote.
The local paper in Corpus Christi, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, reported that the newborn boy, who died July 8 at Christus Spohn Hospital South, “was killed by a septic infection and complications of prematurity,” according to a doctor who told the Nueces County medical examiner.
—Paul Detrick is a Research Analyst at the Business and Media Institute.
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When I attended Hospital
July 11, 2008 - 21:03 ET by jcrapes4When I attended Hospital Corpsman school for the United States Navy we were taught to triple check the prescription. You checked to ensure you were giving the right medication at the right dose to the right person. These accidents are not the companies fault. It is the caregivers fault. Their lack of judgment lead to the death of the babies.
I agree. One of those
July 11, 2008 - 23:13 ET by motherbeltI agree. You check the order and the drug when you take it out, you compare them again after you draw it up, and again at the patient's bedside, when you make sure it's the right patient.
One of those bottles says "Heparin" and the other says "Hep-lock." And both names are plenty big. This was sthe result of someone reading "Hep" and no farther.
But you know, it's always someone else's fault when a mistake is made. And in these "umbrella" lawsuits, they sue everyone in any way connected with the patient's care, in hopes of a big payout from one of them. And of course the drug maker has the deepest pockets.
While it is a good idea to change the labels, the drug maker certainly wasn't negligent with the first set of labels.
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
I agree with both of you,
July 11, 2008 - 23:23 ET by DEVILDOCMOMthis is a NURSING error...as an ER RN, I hate to see this sort of thing, but it is not the drug company. The labels were clear, the nurses apparently were in a hurry and did not do the basic rights of drug administration. I am not sure how other hospitals deal with this, but we need two RN's checking meds such as heparin, insulin, and other "critical" drugs.
Legal drugs
July 12, 2008 - 00:13 ET by garyganuThis celebrity has a legitimate reason to complain about the misuses of a legal drugs. I am relieved that the children are OK. Accidents will always happen, fortunately this story had a happy ending.
The true tragedy occurs when millions of people purposely abuse prescription medications and tens of thousands die annually. Why don't we hear about that? Unfortunately, many celebrities, lawmakers and just plain regular folks, create their own problem with legal medications.
Antidepressants, sleeping medications, pain medications, stimulants, depressants, psychotropic medications and sexual enhancement medications are being over prescribed and abused in unprecedented numbers. There are 20,000 deaths annually due to overdose of prescription medications that are being used for recreational purposes as compared with 17,000 overdose deaths due to illegal drugs.
Where is the outrage about this? There is much outrage over the 4,000 American soldiers who died in Iraq over the past 5 years, but not one peep about the abuse of pharmaceutical drug abuse that is causing 20,000 deaths per year. Also I frequently hear stories about how illegal drug abuse is on the decline. They are purposely not including the data about legal drug abuse which is rampant.
Legal drug abuse has become commonplace and acceptable in today's day and age.
I honestly didn't know about this problem, but it seems that many of the medications that are so widely advertised on TV, are the very same ones that are being abused. The drug companies have literally become pushers of recreational drugs. Doctors and drug companies are profiting from this, and if the Democrats get their way, a national health care system will be paying for it. I'm sure there is already massive fraud on the part of doctors and patients already by overprescribing these drugs and getting the health insurance companies to foot the bill.
It is amazing to me that every segment of our society is in such rapid moral decline.
Overblown heparin controversy
July 12, 2008 - 07:39 ET by nkviking75I get heparin three times a week to facilitate my dialysis. Do I have to worry that heparin makers will be hounded to stop making the drug, or that it'll become far more expensive? I have no quarrel with the Quaids, who seem to have a legitimate case, but I'd hate to see this blown up into a huge controversy.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
double post
July 12, 2008 - 07:41 ET by nkviking75double post
Truth
July 12, 2008 - 09:10 ET by ScrapironThe lame stream media has fallen so fast they no longer have the high school student in the back room to make sure they are close to 10% correct when they slime someone. You can expect more 100% lies in the future.
Old, Retired and glad of it.
Socialized Medicine?
July 12, 2008 - 16:01 ET by JDWFirst option should never be generics.
The drug company is being judged by news media policies rather than results. The coroner's findings were ignored by ABC, will they ever be revealed?
The news media has begun a recent attack on Gardasil even though their numbers do not provide a justified claim.
How often does one read the same?
JDW
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