We have heard almost every day this month – something exported from China has problems. This week, The Washington Post writer Marc Kaufman took a detailed look into regulation of generic drugs made overseas – read it here.
“India and China, countries where the Food and Drug Administration rarely conducts quality-control inspections, have become major suppliers of low-cost drugs and drug ingredients to American consumers. Analysts say their products are becoming pervasive in the generic and over-the-counter marketplace.
Over the past seven years, amid explosive growth in imports from India and China, the FDA conducted only about 200 inspections of plants in those countries, and a few were the kind that U.S. firms face regularly to ensure that the drugs they make are of high quality…
“Five years ago, Chinese drugmakers exported about $300 million worth of products to the United States. Eager to meet Americans’ demand for lower-cost medicines, they, too, have expanded rapidly. Last year, they sold more than $675 million in pharmaceutical ingredients and products in the U.S. market.”
Are these drugs being checked by FDA? The article goes on to say the checks are not sufficient. Read more about the problems with generic drugs, and testing – at the peoplespharmacy.com Blog – here.
Maybe now we will think twice before telling our physicians we will take the generic brand.