Those irresponsible folks over at McClatchy have done it again. Pointed out something that most people in Big Pharma already new but weren’t saying and which completely explodes yet another Republican myth. Remember how our government took action to prevent the states, health plans and individuals from buying their drugs at a significant discount from Canadian Pharmacies? They did it because well, you just can’t trust those canucks. The drugs could be contaminated and the FDA couldn’t guarantee their purity or effectiveness. But they’re sure hustling on the China issue.
From the Tim Johnson article:
Competitors say China's drug companies not only have low-cost advantages but also get a nearly free pass from U.S. drug regulators, who hold the screws to American companies — raising their costs significantly — but rarely inspect in China.
That’s an unattributed statement, but it’s not hard to believe. It turns out that most of the chemicals used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and many OTC pharmaceuticals themselves are obtained from, you guessed it, China. If you take the generic OTC painkiller acetaminophen, chances are it was manufactured in China. That little old country that’s been involved in such minor issues as lead paint in toys, toxic toothpaste, drugs in toys, plastics in dog food and other assorted gifts from an unregulated capitalist economy. Can you say contamination? Well, other can too. From an industry web site FierceBiotech comes the following:
What's the biggest risk of relying on Chinese drug manufacturers? Ask any five people on the street, and you'd likely get "contamination" as your answer five times.
That's the industry perspective.
So the Republican administration was focused on the risk of contamination from...Canada. Perhaps they were just a bit confused. Let’s give them the benefit of a doubt. The names of both countries start with the letter C, and for them, maybe that’s a real accomplishment.
But wait, there’s more. From the same story...
"...experts are increasingly worried that China's explosive growth in drug and active-ingredient manufacturing presents a national-security risk."
Must be the experts from the DHS. They’re frightened that if we support Taiwan, then the next time there’s an anthrax attack, the Chinese might not supply us with all the Cipro that we need. OMG. Push the panic button. Brownie, oh Brownie, we need you....