CHUCK RIPS FDA OVER CHINA RISK

-New York Post

03/10/2008 -  An anemic Food and Drug Administration needs a $500 million infusion to increase its overseas inspections after a violations-riddled Chinese factory was linked to the contaminated blood thinner Heparin, which has killed 19 people in the United States, Sen. Chuck Schumer charged yesterday.

In 2007, only 13 inspections were done in China, which manufactures 80 percent of the US prescription and nonprescription medicine inventory, said Schumer, quoting a scathing report by the Government Accountability Office.

While the FDA is required to inspect all US factories every two years, there's no similar requirement for foreign factories," he said.

"If we took the laws that apply to the American manufacturers and applied them overseas, those drugs made there would every bit as safe as our American-inspected drugs," Schumer said.

He claimed that the proposed legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), would upgrade the FDA's antiquated systems database and increase staffing.

"The list of dangerous products grows and grows, and nobody seems to be batting an eye," Schumer said, referring to recent Chinese recalls, including lead-based toys and tainted pet food.

Schumer said the deaths involving Heparin, a common anticoagulant used by more than 450,000 US dialysis patients each year, is only the tip of the iceberg.

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