The director of the China office of the United States Food and Drug Administration has said that the United States is increasing oversight of the production of certain pharmaceutical drugs in China. To accomplish this task, the office is increasing the number of investigators to monitor the drug production process. With the delay of visas granted by the Chinese government, many of the new investigators have been temporarily flown to China to conduct their oversight.
This increase in oversight is the result of growing concerns about imported drug ingredients. “Between 2003 and last year, imports from China increased 192 per cent, raising the potential for substandard products to reach US consumers. The FDA has placed products from 33 Chinese facilities on import alert, meaning certain products may be refused admission into the United States.” It will be interesting to see how the rejection of certain drugs into the United States would affect China’s drug production methods in the future.
Further Reading: http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1464508/us-bolster-inspections-china-drug-production-facilities-amid-safety