Drug Import Mess Getting Deeper and Deeper

The latest article from the NYT covering the Heparin scandal and tragedy details how the Chinese plant suspected of processing deadly elements of the drug, which has killed at least four Americans, has a wide, unregulated array of sources for the raw product (pig intestine) necessary for Heparin’s production.

These suppliers are made up of small, family-style run factories from poor Chinese villages. The investigation found factories where:

“…floors had large puddles and drainage channels; the workshops were dilapidated and unheated; and steam from the production process fogged up the windows and soaked the walls.”

And what is China intending to do about this in the future? Well, yesterday brought a related development (from the AP). China has official taken the position that “importing countries are ultimately responsible for ensuring product safety.”

Add to these facts that late last month, the Government Accountability Office reported that it would take 13 years for the FDA to inspect every foreign drug plant importing to America under their current staff and technology restraints.

This is serious trouble.

-- Dylan Blaylock