Pharmaceuticals Made in China May Mean Trouble for U.S.

Here’s a cheery holiday note! Seems since so many people have been worried about tainted Chinese goods, they’ve done a little research. A story in the Kansas City Star notes that ingredients in many drugs come from China. With the cheaply manufactured ingredients China has cornered the market on key parts of drugs like cipro and doxycycline both used in the fight against Anthrax and other potential bio-weapons.

More alarming is the fact that Chinese companies produce almost one third of over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen sold in the US. With the kind of quality control found in Chinese toys, and the non-existent regulation for their safety, should we be worried about their drugs? I do.

Now the most interesting thing to me is this. Our government or at least the Bush government has long claimed that we cannot import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada because of the possibility of poor quality or dangerous drugs entering the country. That argument was specious as best and now just sounds silly when major drug companies herein the US are making drugs with dirt cheap Chinese ingredients. Remember all that lack of quality control on their toys? Why should Chinese drug companies be any different. Time for country of origin labeling on every product sold in the US. If you can’t tell where it was made, don’t buy it!

Alarmist? Consider this quote from the story:

The Chinese and Indian companies are all but exempt from oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“Only 13 inspections were conducted in China in 2007,” Rep. John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, said at a hearing Nov. 1. “At this rate, it would take the FDA 55 years just to clear this backlog.”