Heparin update New Zealand

Stewart Jessamine, Group Manager, Medsafe in conjunction with the Ministry of Health (NZ)  are continuing to monitor the situation with respect to the global problem of heparin contaminated with over-sulphated chondroitin sulphate (OSCS) entering the market.

Medicines regulators around the world have taken a number of different approaches to managing this issue.  In New Zealand, Medsafe requires all manufacturers of heparin-based products to test for the presence of OSCS in products supplied to the market. To date all of the manufacturers of heparin and low molecular weight heparin products supplied to New Zealand have reported that OSCS has not been detected in the products used by patients.

Click here for the full update.

Other stories