Supply Line Safety under Scrutiny

The vast majority of American medications are now manufactured abroad. Experts estimate that 80 percent of the raw ingredients in U.S. pharmaceuticals are made in countries like China, India, Thailand and Brazil. John M. Taylor III, Esq., Acting Principal Deputy Director of FDA, reported that “The safety of America’s food and medical products is under serious challenge” at a roundtable meeting of the Pew Health Group.
Roger L. Williams, MD, CEO of the United States Pharmacopeia, known as the USP, warned that pharmaceutical manufacturing in the world at large is in an era like that depicted by Upton Sinclair in turn of the 20th century America. In other words, there is no inspection or oversight for the manufacturing process at the root of the majority of our medications. That includes over-the-counter products such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
The roundtable also discussed drug diversion in this country. Millions of dollars worth of stolen pharmaceuticals are stored badly or adulterated before being resold at a higher price. This puts patients at risk. Legislation requiring track and trace technology so pharmacists can follow the pedigree of the medicines they dispense might discourage diversion.
[Pew Health Group roundtable, March 14-15, 2011]