Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An acidic glycosaminoglycan found especially in lung and liver tissue and having the ability to slow the clotting of blood, used as a drug in the treatment of thrombosis.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine, biochemistry A glycosaminoglycan, originally isolated from liver cells, now made synthetically for medical use, used as an anticoagulant

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a polysaccharide produced in basophils (especially in the lung and liver) and that inhibits the activity of thrombin in coagulation of the blood; it (trade names Lipo-Hepin and Liquaemin) is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis and in heart surgery

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin hēpar, liver (from Greek; see yĕ̄kwr̥ in Indo-European roots) + –in.]

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Examples

  • The FDA said people who have heparin from the recalled lots should discontinue use immediately.

    Heparin recalled by FDA because of contamination 2010

  • Amphastar said its imported heparin product presents "no threat whatsoever to the drug-consuming public" because that heparin is not intended for consumers.

    Drug Maker Sues FDA on Denial of Heparin Imports Alicia Mundy 2010

  • APP Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Schaumburg, Ill., also gets the active ingredient for much of its heparin from a Chinese supplier.

    China Plant Played Role 2008

  • Here is the lot number and other identifying information for the recalled heparin:

    Heparin recalled by FDA because of contamination 2010

  • If you have suffered adverse events or side effects related to the recalled heparin, the FDA encourages you to report it to its MedWatch program.

    Heparin recalled by FDA because of contamination 2010

  • Baxter International Inc. and a German company have recalled heparin products that were found to be contaminated.

    Three More European Countries Recall Heparin Jeanne Whalen, Thomas M. Burton 2008

  • Oversulfated chondroitin sulfate is chemically similar to the active ingredient in heparin, which is derived from pig intestines, and FDA officials have said it is cheaper to make.

    Economic Fraud Suspected 2008

  • (In an unrelated development, Baxter is recalling heparin vials amid a Food and Drug Administration investigation of reports of allergic reactions and deaths that appear to be linked to manufacturing problems.)

    Hospitals Tackle 2008

  • KEILAR: The Food and Drug Administration has just finished inspecting a drug factory in China that makes the active ingredient in heparin, that is the blood thinner that is under recall, linked to four deaths and hundreds of sick patients.

    CNN Transcript Feb 29, 2008 2008

  • There is a potential worry for the U.S. in the new recalls of heparin, which is made from pig intestines.

    Three More European Countries Recall Heparin Jeanne Whalen, Thomas M. Burton 2008

  • There was the dreaded heparin lock, an intravenous tube embedded in a vein of my arm that provided the nurses and doctors with quick access to my blood.

    I Was a 4-Year-Old Trapped in a Teenager’s Body Patrick Burleigh 2019

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