FDA Cannot Ensure Safety Of Imported Prescription Drugs, According To Op-Ed

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 12 Jul 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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"Because of the wide-ranging scope of counterfeiting, it's nearly impossible for [FDA] to guarantee the safety of imported drugs, even if they enter the U.S. from supposedly reputable nations," Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and founding member of FDA's Counterfeit Drug Task Force, writes in a Chicago Tribune opinion piece. Pitts continues that "simply mandating safety by legislative fiat will not make imported drugs safer" and that "[w]ithout fundamental regulatory reforms in the countries where counterfeits are produced, the FDA's efforts will be futile."

According to Pitts, "Allowing the importation of prescription drugs with the ostensible purpose of saving consumers a few bucks is a dangerous response to high drug prices." He added, "Congress has a responsibility to protect Americans from overseas threats, not expose them to those hazards" (Pitts, Chicago Tribune, 7/8).

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