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These drugs have been legally sold and manufactured in many countries. The use of the word "illegal" to describe them is hysterical and inappropriate. If the FD
by pseingatl 14y ago
These drugs have been legally sold and manufactured in many countries. The use of the word "illegal" to describe them is hysterical and inappropriate. If the FDA wishes to regulate pharmaceuticals that enter the United States, that's fine; but the FDA's jurisdiction should stop at its borders. It looks to me like this crack-down had little to do with health and safety but a lot to do with protecting entrenched distributors.
- refurb 14y agoControl over the supply chain is what stops fake drugs from reaching consumers. A few months back a number of vials, purported to contain a cancer drug, were found to be nothing but solution of saline. If anything, you're going to see many more actions like this, the FDA is scared about the integrity of the drug supply (and apparently so are many other countries, based on the article).
- makomk 14y agoA lot of these drugs were almost certainly made by competent, regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing firms in countries such as India. The FDA doesn't care - if it's not manufactured in FDA-approved plants they treat it just like they would a total fake, even if it's manufactured using the same methods and to the same standards as the genuine article, and they'll shut down any company that tries to sell them.
- refurb 14y agoI don't disagree with your comment at all. However, I think the FDA's approach is "The easiest way to control unsafe drugs is to assume that anything that didn't come through approved supply channels is a fake." It's a harsh way of approaching the problem, but you need to remember that the FDA suffers far worse when someone is harmed by a fake drug than if it seizes drugs that are safe.