FDA warns at least 43 drug factories in the U. S. for failing to correct shoddy maufacturing practices.

After the reading this article, one question becomes apparent who does the FDA work for?

At least 43 drug factories supplying medication to thousands of U.S. consumers have received government warnings in recent months for failing to correct shoddy manufacturing practices that may have exposed patients to health risks, a USA TODAY review of records shows.

Violations serious enough to prompt warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration include plants using equipment and ingredients contaminated with bacteria or insects, failing to do proper testing to ensure drug strength and purity, and ignoring consumer complaints that products were making them sick.

The 43 warning letters, issued since January 2009, reflect only some of the most serious manufacturing violations the FDA finds during facility inspections. During 2002-06, for example, more than half of inspections at domestic drug plants and 62% at foreign plants supplying the U.S. had violations that didn't prompt warning letters, but were classified as requiring correction, FDA data published by the Government Accountability Office show. The FDA declined to provide more recent numbers.

A Massachusetts plant run by Braintree Laboratories failed to properly investigate twent one consumer complaints of bug parts or spiders in five of its medicine products, according to the May warning letter. The company did not respond to interview requests.


Link:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-05-26-drug-factories-warned_N.htm