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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, issued the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had found a contaminant in tainted heparin produced in China and then sent to the U.S. The contaminant was a chemically modified chondroitin sulfate, which is used in dietary supplements to relieve joint pain. The FDA suspects the contaminated heparin is responsible for an undetermined number of deaths here in the U.S.
"Once again we are reminded that American lives are at risk because the FDA lacks the authority and resources to carry out its mission. It’s frightening to think what other contaminated medicines and foods are slipping by FDA and making their way into the hands of unsuspecting consumers.
"It's clear we cannot rely on other countries to adequately inspect and regulate these products. Therefore, we must provide FDA the tools, the resources and the authority to restore confidence in a process that has been seriously off course for sometime." |
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