I figured this was worth posting. Since we don't know where Morgellons originated this is food for thought. Contamination seems to be everywhere in our food and drugs. How many recalls in the last few years on beef, spinach, tomatoes...just to name a few. Now Thyroid cancer patients have been taking drugs contaminated with rubber, steel and fiber. Just what a cancer patient needs in their system. Makes you wonder how many other things are/were contaminated that they don't now about yet. It says this is the second time for this drug company, before it was viral contamination. Great...take medication to get sicker!
Thyrogen Drug Used for Thyroid Cancer Treatment is Contaminated with Trash, Says FDA
Thyrogen Drug Used for Thyroid Cancer Treatment is Contaminated with Trash, Says FDA
Friday November 13, 2009
This is not good news for thyroid cancer patients who rely on the drug Thyrogen (thyrotropin alfa). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that they have found small particles of steel, rubber and fiber -- trash basically -- in vials of their drugs, including the thyroid drug Thyrogen. They also reported that this contamination could cause serious health effects for patients.
This is the second time just this year that Genzyme has been cited by the FDA for contamination of their products. In June of this year, Genzyme had to shut down a key production facility due to viral contamination. (Read FDA press release in PDF format, and Genzyme release.)
In addition to Thyrogen, other Genzyme drugs affected by the current contamination issue include Cerezyme, Fabrazyme, Myozyme, and Aldurazyme.
The FDA is not removing the products from the market, because they say that there are few alternatives to these drugs. The FDA is recommending, however, that practitioners take the following actions:
Discuss with patients and families the potential for foreign particle contamination and development of adverse events, taking into account the clinical necessity of these products, and the risks associated with untreated illness.
Visually inspect the powder in the vial for the presence of particles, before reconstitution.
Visually inspect the reconstituted powder (in solution) and the Aldurazyme solution for the presence of particles.
Do not use any product with visualized particles. Return contaminated products to Genzyme Corporation (1-800-745-4447, option 2).
Monitor for local or systemic allergic reactions after administration.
Consider the clinical utility of levothyroxine withdrawal, an effective and well-established alternative to Thyrogen, versus the potential safety risks from administration of Thyrogen that may contain foreign particles.