Today, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced that they have discovered how to customize a key human enzyme responsible for producing heparin. (See NewsWise, “Scientists Teach Enzyme to Make Synthetic Heparin in More Varieties.") This important announcement brings researchers closer to developing a more effective synthetic anticoagulant, rather than using raw natural heparin from pigs. As a result, it would shorten the drug chain and make it less susceptible to contamination. This is important because as learned from the heparin debacle, companies such as Baxter and Scientific Protein Laboratories, who are more interested in saving a buck by purchasing product from China rather than protecting the American public, cannot be trusted to ensure the safety of their drug. As stated by Jian Liu, Ph.D., associate professor in the school’s medicinal chemistry and natural products division, “The pig stuff has served us well for 50 years and is very inexpensive, but if we cannot control the supply chain, we cannot ensure the safety of the drug.”

Labels: Baxter, Baxter Heparin, China, contamination, Heparin, heparin attorney, Heparin Class Action, heparin lawsuit, heparin lawyer, Liu, OSCS, Scientific Protein, synthetic heparin

At the American Chemical Society’s national meeting on August 17, 2008, Robert J. Linhardt, a chemist with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (“RPI”) in Troy, New York, reported ongoing advances toward developing a safer, fully-synthetic version of heparin. (Am. Chem. Society 09/17/08 Press Release, “Chemists move closer toward developing safer, fully-synthetic form of heparin.”) Specifically, Linhardt said his team from RPI, along with the assistance of Jian Liu at the University of North Carolina, has been able to produce a tiny amount of synthetic heparin. (Id.) The researchers claim that this creation is the largest dose of heparin ever created in a lab. (RPI Website: “Researchers Create Safer Alternative to Heparin.”)

According to the American Chemical Society’s press release, researchers have been trying for years to develop heparin production methods. (Am. Chem. Society 09/17/08 Press Release, “Chemists move closer toward developing safer, fully-synthetic form of heparin.”) In 2003, the first so-called total synthesis of heparin was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, the result was not practical as it only produced minute batches of heparin — less than 0.000000035 ounces at a time. (Id.)

Linhardt, together with Jian Liu, discovered the synthetic “recipe” for heparin in 2006. (RPI Website: “Researchers Create Safer Alternative to Heparin.”) Since that time, they have worked to piece together the various molecules and grow a complex carbohydrate that is naturally created in the body in the lab. (Id.)

RPI claims that larger amount of fully synthetic heparin could be ready for use in patients in five years. (Id.)

Labels: Baxter, Baxter Heparin, Heparin, heparin attorney, Heparin Class Action, heparin lawsuit, heparin lawyer, Linhardt, Liu, synthetic heparin