The European Medicines Agency presumes the contaminant in all three countries is the same as the one identified in recalled United States batches of the drug, a chemical called over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate, the article on the Journal's website said.

France on Friday began recalling heparin made by Rotexmedica, the same company that made heparin which was recalled from Germany earlier this month, the article said, citing a spokesman for the European regulator.

Moreover, the active ingredient used to make heparin is being recalled in Italy and Denmark because it is contaminated, the agency spokesman said. The chemical was made by an Italian company, Opocrin, which used raw ingredients sourced in China, the agency spokesman said.

Batches of the drug have recently been recalled in Germany and the United States, where some patients taking the drug suffered allergic reactions. In both the United States and Germany, the contamination surfaced in supplies made from ingredients bought in China, the article said. -- REUTERS