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Medicines Made with HIV-Infected Blood Marketed: Lawmaker


Some 26,800 vials of medical products like blood clotting agent for hemophiliacs made from HIV-infected blood have been marketed in Korea, a lawmaker said Monday.

Grand National Party legislator Ko Kyung-hwa said a 25-year-old university student in Gwangju identified as Gang and a 23-year-old student in Incheon with the surname Kim, who donated blood in April and May respectively, were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. When the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention investigated their donation record, it found that blood the two donated last year mistakenly tested negative for HIV and was marketed as transfusion-use blood and for blood medication.



The blood donated by Gang in Gwangju last September was obtained from the Red Cross by a pharmaceutical company in October, which mixed it with other donated blood to produce some 20,000 vials of albumin, used as a nutritional injection, and hemophilia medication.

Blood donated by Kim in Incheon in December was used by the same pharmaceutical company in April to manufacture albumin, 3,799 vials of which were distributed. Kim's blood was also used in a blood transfusion, but the car accident victim who received his blood died after surgery, the investigation revealed.

The Health Ministry says there is nothing to worry about because viruses are removed during the drug manufacturing process. It said several developed nations allowed the manufacture and distribution of products made from contaminated blood if it goes through that manufacturing process. But Rep. Ko said a case of hemophiliacs who recently won a lawsuit after claiming they were infected with HIV through blood coagulation products showed that manufacturing processes that supposedly rid the blood of viruses were not failsafe. Ko demanded the products made with the infected blood be recalled and destroyed to protect public health.

(englishnews@chosun.com )