The Food and Drug Administration is now concerned about the safety of drugs manufactured in India and is examining the products flooding the U.S. markets as a result of safety lapses, falsified drug test results and the selling of fake medicines.
India’s pharmaceutical companies supplies over 40 percent of the over-the-counter medicines in the U.S. The heightened concern by U.S. regulators stems from recent findings that some drugs entering our market were adulterated including the acne drug Acutane and the pain drug Neurontin. The generic versions of these drugs were banned from being imported from India.
Ranbaxy, India’s largest drug manufacturer pleaded guilty to feloney charged and paid a $500 million charge last year after being caught falsifying information to the F.D.A.
The World Health Organization estimated that one in five drugs made in India are fake. Some experts say that the F.D.A. officials are equally concerned about drugs coming from China but have not increased surveillance of factories there. The Chinese Government has not provided visa to allow inspectors to conduct work there.
According to the New York Times, the crucial ingredients for nearly all antibiotics, steroids and many other drugs are now made EXCLUSIVELY in China.
