Durbin Asks FDA for Information Regarding Tainted Drug

Press Release

Durbin Asks FDA for Information Regarding Tainted Drug

United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chairman, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, asking for more information regarding the way the FDA inspects and certifies drugs produced in China. Recent reports of contamination of a popular blood-thinner, mirror problems with imports of tainted pet food from China.

"First it was deadly pet food, then antifreeze in toothpaste and toys with dangerous lead paint. Now Chinese labs are shipping lethal drugs to our hospitals," Durbin said. "The FDA must step in immediately to protect American families from this latest Chinese export threat."

Last week FDA announced that over 700 people had allergic reactions, and an unknown number of people had died, after taking tainted doses of the blood-thinner Heparin. According to the report, a chemically altered form of the dietary supplement chondroitin sulfate was added to the drug at a production plant in China. At the time of the contamination, the factory had never been inspected by the FDA.

In April of last year, thousands of pets around the country were sickened by tainted food produced in China. As with the Heparin case, the pet food was contaminated in production facilities which had never been inspected by the FDA.

Durbin has called on the Chinese government and the FDA to work towards a mutual agreement to improve inspections and overall safety of food products and drugs traded between the U.S. and China.

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