Precept Employee Benefits Blog

Earlier this week the FDA confirmed that 81 people have died and nearly 800 suffered severe allergic reactions to the tainted blood thinner, Heparin. For any watching this Heparin situation unfold, you should be scared – I am. For the rest that believe ignorance is bliss, it just may kill you the next time you take an FDA approved medication. Allow me to explain.

In the wake of this Heparin tainting, a congressional subcommittee questioned the commissioner of the FDA and uncovered some scary facts.

• The tainted Heparin came from China. (Not the first time the U.S. has received poor quality products from China – remember all those lead tainted toys last year?).
• 714 drug making plants in China provide prescription drugs to the U.S.

Scared yet?

• $20 Million is the estimated annual cost to inspect 15% (500) of the 3,249 foreign plants that ship drugs into the U.S.
• Roughly 10% (350) of foreign facilities will be inspected with the FDA’s $13 Million budget in 2008.

Are you scared now?

As I ponder these statistics, I am reminded of all those drug company excuses for the soaring prescription drug prices during the last ten years. You know the line, “Drugs are more expensive in the U.S. because of the FDA trials and the approval process.” My response, “What good is the FDA approval process if we don’t inspect the foreign facilities supplying us drugs?”

Perhaps drug companies should divert some of those huge profits from their advertising campaigns or their “drug pushing cheerleader” workforce or their massive political contributions to funding the FDA inspections of the foreign facilities they are using to supply us with drugs. Besides, they are the ones that moved to these foreign locations to add to their profits. 

With situations like this occurring, you may want to reconsider that next prescription.