FDA halts 'most' foreign inspections amid coronavirus outbreak


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday the suspension of "most foreign inspections" through April due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The administration previously halted inspections in China due to the coronavirus, but now will exclude India, the world's leading manufacturer of generic drugs, per The New York Times.
So far, only one drug is in short supply in the U.S. in relation to COVID-19, but it's unclear which one, reports the Council on Foreign Relations. The FDA is monitoring 20 other drugs, sourced from China, though no shortages have been reported and they are considered non-critical.
U.S. companies rely heavily on imported drug products from India and China, per CFR. In 2019, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) noted "80 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients are produced abroad, the majority in China and India."
The FDA is responsible for safety of food, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and tobacco products, among other items. "Inspections outside the U.S. deemed mission-critical will still be considered on a case-by-case basis," according to the FDA.
Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.
-
From Da Vinci to a golden toilet: a history of museum heists
In the Spotlight Following the ‘spectacular’ events at the Louvre, museums are ‘increasingly being targeted by criminal gangs’
-
Can Gen Z uprisings succeed where other protest movements failed?
Today's Big Question Apolitical and leaderless, youth-led protests have real power but are vulnerable to the strongman opportunist
-
The allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria
The Explainer West African nation has denied claims from US senator and broadcaster
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read