Heparin News and Research

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Heparin, a highly-sulfated glycosaminoglycan, is widely used as an injectable anticoagulant, and has the highest negative charge density of any known biological molecule. It can also be used to form an inner anticoagulant surface on various experimental and medical devices such as test tubes and renal dialysis machines. Pharmaceutical grade heparin is derived from mucosal tissues of slaughtered meat animals such as porcine (pig) intestine or bovine (cow) lung.

Researchers to develop a safer and synthetic alternative to current heparin

With a $4.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (under the Bioengineering Research Partnership program), research led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will make its important final steps toward the development of a safer, synthetic alternative to current heparin. The researchers believe that kilogram quantities of the new drug could be developed in under five years.

18 Sep 2009

Reliant Renal Care chooses Medisystems as supplier of Streamline airless blood tubing sets

NxStage Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM), a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Medisystems Corporation, has signed a new three-year product supply agreement with Reliant Renal Care, Inc., for the delivery of Streamline airless blood tubing sets, as well as MasterGuard(R) safety needles with FingerShield(R) to Reliant's dialysis center network.

15 Sep 2009

First patient enrolled in Phase 2b RADAR clinical trial

Regado Biosciences, a privately held company leading the development of antithrombotic therapeutic aptamers with active control agents, announced that on September 8, 2009 enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 2b, randomized, partially-blinded, multi-center, active-controlled, dose-ranging study of its lead product candidate, the REG1 anticoagulation system (REG1) was achieved.

11 Sep 2009

FDA approves Hospira's six new vial presentations of heparin

Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company's applications for six new presentations of therapeutic heparin in single- and multiple-dose vials.

1 Sep 2009

Results of the Phase II SEPIA-ACS1/ TIMI-42 study presented at the plenary session of the Annual European Society of Cardiology

Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that the investigational anti-Xa intravenous anticoagulant otamixaban reduced by 27 to 42 percent the odds of the composite primary endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, urgent revascularization or rescue GPIIb/IIIa use in 4 out of the 5 otamixaban tested doses, versus standard UFH/eptifibatide combination in [non-ST] ACS patients suitable for invasive strategy.

31 Aug 2009

Intermediate dosages of otamixaban reduce acute coronary complications

30 Aug 2009

Thick blood to cause or prevent strokes and heart attacks proved by scientists

"Thick" blood can cause heart attack and stroke, but also prevent them. Scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital have explained the mechanism of this clinical paradox for the first time on an animal model. Mice with a greater tendency to form blood clots have larger plaques in their vessels, but they are more stable.

24 Aug 2009

New peripherally inserted central catheter mimics nature

A novel coating being used on a new peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) from r4 Vascular mimics the cell layer found on natural tissue surfaces.

30 Jun 2009

New approaches to prevent blood clots

The largest study ever to examine the preventive use of blood-thinning medication to help prevent deadly blood clots in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy presented December 7 during the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Francisco, CA.

8 Dec 2008

Scientists create synthetic Heparin in more varieties

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have learned to customize a key human enzyme responsible for producing heparin, opening the door to a more effective synthetic anticoagulant as well as treatments for other conditions.

25 Nov 2008

Simple, inexpensive method for detecting contaminants in heparin

The blood-thinning drug heparin is highly effective when used to prevent and treat blood clots in veins, arteries and lungs, but earlier this year its reputation as a lifesaver was sullied when contaminated heparin products caused serious allergic reactions that led to a large number of deaths.

17 Nov 2008

FDA seizes Heparin from Cincinnati manufacturer

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ongoing efforts to ensure that heparin for patients remains safe, the government today seized 11 lots of heparin from Celsus Laboratories Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio.

7 Nov 2008

Advisers to Presidential candidates discuss positions on reimportation, generics, biotechnology medications

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) have begun "reviewing their support" for prescription drug reimportation in response to recent cases of contaminated medications and other products from other nations, advisers to the candidates said on Thursday during the annual conference of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association in Washington, D.C., Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

22 Sep 2008

FDA posts names of prescription drugs being investigated for potential safety problems

FDA officials on Friday said the agency will begin publishing quarterly a list of drugs being investigated for potential safety risks, the Washington Post reports.

9 Sep 2008

Pre-hospital treatment on the way to percutaneous coronary intervention

For patients with acute ST-segment-elevation AMI (STEMI) within 12 hours after symptom onset and with persistent ST-segment elevation, or new or presumednew left bundle-branch block with concomitant ST-segment elevation, restoring coronary blood flow as early as possible is the main goal of reperfusion strategies.

2 Sep 2008

Safety of antithrombotic treatment in acute coronary syndromes

The management of acute coronary syndromes (with or without ST segment elevation) requires the use of anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents (aspirin, clopidogrel and/or glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors), beta-blockers, thrombolytics in some cases, and revascularization / reperfusion.

2 Sep 2008

European guidelines for acute pulmonary embolism

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a relatively common cardiovascular emergency. Clots originating in the leg veins may become detached and obstruct the lung vessels. This obstruction may lead to a rise of pressure in the pulmonary circulation and possibly to life-threatening heart failure.

2 Sep 2008

Researchers create synthetic heparin

Robert Linhardt has spent years stitching together minuscule carbohydrates to build a more pure and safer alternative to the commonly used and controversial blood thinner heparin. At the national conference of the American Chemical Society on August 17, 2008, Linhardt announced that his research team may have accomplished this task by building the first fully synthetic heparin. Their creation is the largest dose of heparin ever created in the lab.

17 Aug 2008

Maternal deaths following cesarean delivery can be reduced

Maternal death rates have remained constant in the United States for many decades. Are there any improvements in health care that could reduce these rates further?

4 Aug 2008

Study examines heparin use following cardioembolic stroke

The common practice of administering heparin soon after cardioembolic stroke is associated with an increased risk for serious bleeding, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the September 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology. However, it appears that anticoagulation with warfarin therapy may safely begin shortly after stroke.

14 Jul 2008