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House panel revives an inquiry into contaminated heparin
The House Energy and Commerce Committee revived an investigation into a 2008 case of contaminated heparin that came from China and was responsible for several deaths. Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., asked the FDA in a letter to...[more]
Talecris sees stronger sales of blood products
Talecris Biotherapeutics said it saw an increase in its fourth-quarter revenue owing to increase in sales of its blood products. The company's planned merger with Spanish firm Grifols is awaiting regulatory approval. MedCity News...[more]
FDA approves CSL Behring's drug Corifact
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Corifact, the first product intended to prevent bleeding in people with the rare genetic defect congenital Factor XIII...[more]
CDC: Flu is hitting the U.S.
The CDC reported flu viruses, especially the H3N2 strain, are circulating in 50 states, 37 of which have been broadly affected. The report found the flu contributed to 8% of adult deaths in 122 cities -- which indicates an...[more]
Study: XMRV can be hard to detect in blood of macaque monkeys
A study of five macaque monkeys infected with XMRV found that upon injection of the virus, the animals immediately showed signs of infection but that these signs also disappeared, making it hard for researchers to detect the...[more]
Lawsuit seeks to overturn payment ban for bone marrow donors
A group called MoreMarrowDonors.org has filed a suit in a federal appeals court seeking to change the 1984 National Organ Transplant Act, which bans monetary compensation for bone marrow donors. A lawyer for the group said the...[more]
AABB XMRV task force: Recommendation to add donor question on CFS "not appropriate"
AABB's XMRV task force issued a statement last week saying that a recommendation by an FDA advisory committee to add a question to the donor history questionnaire about chronic fatigue syndrome is not an appropriate measure. The...[more]