The New York Times follows up on their expose of tainted cancer drugs with an editorial calling for a stronger Federal Drug Administration in the U.S. to monitor imported pharmaceuticals:
When Chinese regulators began to investigate the cause of the adverse reactions, plant workers tried to cover up what had happened, delaying corrective action. The government has now closed the factory and detained two company officials in a criminal investigation.
The same company is the sole supplier to the United States of the abortion pill known as RU-486. That pill is made at a different factory that passed an F.D.A. inspection in May and was inspected three times in recent months by Chinese drug regulators. Still, in light of the company’s current difficulties, the F.D.A. would be wise to reinspect the plant promptly to ensure that the RU-486 production facility is adhering to rigorous quality control procedures.
