NYT: 80% of drug ingredients are made abroad, insufficiently inspected - new agreement may address

[spooky3]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/13/science/13drug.html?_r=1

"More than 80 percent of the active ingredients for drugs sold in the United States are made abroad, mostly in a shadowy network of facilities in China and India that are rarely visited by government inspectors, who sometimes cannot even find the plants.
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Jeff Swensen for The New York Times

Heather Bresch's proposal to tax the generic drug industry to aid inspections was largely adopted.

But after decades of failed attempts, the federal government and the generic drug industry have reached an agreement that is almost certain to pass Congress and that will lead to routine inspections of these overseas plants, potentially transforming the enormous global medicine trade.

Under the landmark agreement, expected to be completed within weeks, generic drug companies — which make 75 percent of the prescription medicines sold in the United States — would pay $299 million in annual fees to underwrite inspections of foreign manufacturing plants every two years, the same frequency required of domestic plants.

Self-interest helped drive the agreement because the industry will not only get speedier approvals of new products as part of the deal but also may avoid scandals involving tainted medicines, which tend to hurt confidence in the entire industry. ..."

[Gregorian]

1. This is a far greater threat to our wellbeing than the reasons for spening half a trillion on mil

I posted this link a while back. It's one of the more important issues we're facing, considering the sources of our drug ingredients.

[spooky3]

2. sorry I missed that - how many Republicans do you expect to vote against the agreement?

[Gregorian]

3. What I don't understand is how even with shipping we can't afford to bring these manuf. fac. home.

We're not even inspecting the factories that could be poisoning us with their bad meds. And how can it be cheaper to ship this stuff back, and pay for other countries to be making it?

Not to mention the huge carbon footprint above and beyond what it would take to make this stuff here.

I'm really disgusted with what has happened in this country. It's all greed empowered. I had the chance to send injection molds over to China back in '90. As an engineer, and someone who clearly saw the shift in our manufacturing location, I kept the work over here.

Argh. It's like no one hears us. Without a real 4th Estate, we might as well be shouting at each other on cups with strings.

[nc4bo]

4. Wow - first thought was the long list of Walmart's $5 prescription drug

papers. It's extremely popular and even the pharmacy staff is quick remind you of The List. When you're sick and you just spent a bundle on a doctor's appointment, you're practically jumping up and down with joy that at least your 'script won't cost alot.