For safety’s sake, keep out drug imports
A couple of weeks ago, the Government Accountability Office delivered an alarming message to a congressional panel — the Food and Drug Administration lacks the resources to ensure the safety of the nation's food, drugs and medical devices.
Congress has vowed to fix the FDA. It plans to boost its funding, which is a good start. But those efforts will be more than undermined if Congress legalizes drug importation, which it may try to do this month. Attempting to screen imported prescription drugs would stretch the FDA's abilities to their breaking point.
By PETER PITTS
24 February 2008