Contaminated haemophilia blood products

Contaminated hemophilia blood products were a serious public health problem in the late 1970s up to 1985.

Hemophilia A causes a deficiency in Factor VIII, a protein required for blood clotting. Factor VIII injections are a common treatment to prevent or stop bleeding in people with hemophilia A.[1]

Contamination of these and other products caused large numbers of hemophiliacs to become infected with HIV and hepatitis C. The companies involved included Alpha Therapeutic Corporation, Institut Mérieux (which then became Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc., and is now part of Sanofi), Bayer Corporation and its Cutter Biological division, and Baxter International and its Hyland Pharmaceutical division.[2] Estimates for HIV infections in the United States alone range from 6,000 to 10,000, with another 4,000 in France, 2,000 in Canada and 1,200 in the United Kingdom, and many more worldwide.[2][3][4][5][6]

  1. ^ Ma, Alice D.; Roberts, Harold R.; Escobar, Miguel A. (2012-10-03). Hemophilia and Hemostasis: A Case-Based Approach to Management. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-43930-2.
  2. ^ a b Meier, Barry (1996-06-11). "Blood, Money and AIDS: Hemophiliacs Are Split; Liability Cases Bogged Down in Disputes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  3. ^ Zamora, Jim Herron (2003-06-03). "Bad blood between hemophiliacs, Bayer: Patients sue over tainted transfusions spreading HIV, hep C". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference infected_blood_enquiry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Walt Bogdanich; Eric Koli (2003-05-22). "2 Paths of Bayer Drug in 80's: Riskier One Steered Overseas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).