Okay… so today there was testimony before Congress again about the FDA and heparin deaths. I suppose the yen stops in China, because Baxter and the FDA are willing to pass the buck.
Relatives of victims killed by contaminated heparin testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The CEO of Baxter Inc., the company that manufactures the drug, says it appears that the contaminant was deliberately added to the heparin by a supplier in China.
After last year’s pet food scandal, we should all be suspicious of anything coming into our country from China. We all recall the details of the lead paint on toys. So, for the sake of argument let’s assume that China deliberately tainted the heparin.
In early March or before, there were reports of heparin deaths. Yet, the FDA offered that the drug should be administered more slowly to prevent the problem and that perhaps an antihistimine should be given to counteract the “allergic” reactions.
After losing my pet cat a year ago to tainted pet food, seeing the toys come off the shelves faster than they were put up after the lead paint scare, should we be shocked that the Chinese ingredients in heparin were tainted? Probably not. But, what is shocking and appalling is that the FDA was asleep during the whole process. They had never visited the plant where the pig guts were processed. And, in more recent testimony it seems that an FDA inspection often consists of something akin to a “drive by” as if seeing a building where one is expected to be is sufficient to determine what goes on inside.
Baxter was slow in the recall. For that, they should be responsible. I believe the excuse was something about a billion dollars worth of medicine on the market, yada, yada, yada. Of course, we would not expect them to take a loss! (Please note my tongue in my cheek.)
But… and this is a big BUT… The FDA is the agency that is supposed to protect us from tainted food and drugs. In recent years the incompetence and dereliction of duty is only rivaled by FEMA’s. According to testimony before Congress, the FDA is totally dysfunctional. There was a laundry list of deficiencies. And, today we are supposed to be surprised that tainted heparin was imported without detection?
Back to the “F” agencies! There is not one of the “F” agencies that gets a passing grade, yet nothing is being done. Nothing! It is time for a change across the board. The American people have put our trust in the “FDA Approved” sign on products, and repeatedly over the past few years, the FDA has spent time trying to remove and denounce natural products, herbal remedies, and some vitamin/mineral variations from our choices in the drug stores rather than doing the job they need to be doing… protecting the people.
Well, so much for trust in the FDA.
