China questions fault in heparin problem

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chinese officials voiced doubts Monday that a contaminant identified in a blood thinner called heparin was the root cause of severe allergic reactions in hundreds of Americans.

The officials suggested during an embassy news conference that the problem with the drug could have occurred in the United States. They plan to visit a Baxter International plant in New Jersey to get a better picture of how the finished product is manufactured.

"When you see it, then you believe it," said Jin Shaohong, the deputy director general for the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products in China.

The Food and Drug Administration says 62 deaths are associated with allergic-style reactions to contaminated batches of heparin.