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Bovine heparin may be comparable to porcine heparin


 

Vial of heparin

A new study suggests that heparin derived from cattle may be as effective as heparin derived from pigs, but more research is needed.

Investigators found differences in the structural and molecular characteristics of bovine and porcine heparins, but these differences did not appear to have a significant effect on the drugs’ anticoagulant properties in vitro.

Still, the researchers said it is not clear if these differences affect the drugs’ activity in humans.

Jawed Fareed, PhD, of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Illinois, and his colleagues conducted this research and reported the results in Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis.

Heparin used in the US now comes from the intestines of pigs that are slaughtered for meat. Seventy-five percent of the heparin used in the US comes from China, which is the world’s largest pork producer.

As heparin is a widely used drug that, in certain cases, has no medical alternatives, the US healthcare system could be vulnerable to fluctuations in the crude heparin supply, according to the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Therefore, the center is evaluating reintroducing bovine heparin to the market in order to avoid shortages, particularly in case the porcine heparin supply is contaminated, as occurred in 2008.

Bovine heparin was voluntarily withdrawn from the market during the 1980s due to worries that it could, in rare cases, cause thrombocytopenia or be contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease).

According to Dr Fareed, those fears have been put to rest by advancements in manufacturing and quality control that have resulted in purer forms of heparin. Still, some experts remain skeptical about bovine heparin.

With this in mind, Dr Fareed and his colleagues compared individually manufactured batches of bovine heparin (historical samples from a variety of manufacturers) with individually manufactured batches of porcine heparin (current samples from 2 different manufacturers).

The investigators studied heparins isolated from pig intestines (PI), bovine lungs (BL), and bovine intestines (BI).

They found the BL, BI, and PI heparins all produced a concentration-dependent anticoagulant effect. And there was no significant difference in the anti-Xa and anti-IIa potencies of the BL, BI, and PI heparins.

The researchers noted that there were significant structural differences between PI and BI heparins, and it isn’t clear whether these differences would have an impact in patients.

Likewise, although the BL heparin samples were “highly similar” to the PI heparin samples, the BL heparins had a lower molecular weight. And the investigators said it was unclear if this would adversely affect the BL heparins’ pharmacology.

Furthermore, the researchers noted that there was greater variability among the BL heparins than the PI heparins. However, they said this could be due to the multiple historic manufacturers of BL heparins.

The investigators concluded that more research is needed to examine these possibilities.

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