According to a story published in the Washington Post on June 17, 2007, “ Companies based in India were bit players in the American drug market 10 years ago, selling just eight generic drugs here. Today, almost 350 varieties and strengths of antidepressants, heart medicines, antibiotics and other drugs purchased by American consumers are made by Indian manufacturers. Five years ago, Chinese drug-makers exported about $300 million worth of products to the United States. Eager to meet Americans' demand for lower-cost medicines, they, too, have expanded rapidly. Last year, they sold more than $675 million in pharmaceutical ingredients and products in the U.S. market.”
Congress is considering making it easier to important drugs from other countries into the US. But US citizens buying product on the internet, in fact, cannot be certain where the product is coming from, if it is real, safe and effective or who and where the drug was manufactured.
A recent Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive poll shows that nearly two thirds of Americans lack confidence in goods manufactured in developing countries like China, India and South Africa and eight out of ten Americans worry about counterfeit products that claim to be produced in the United States.
Chart Source: WSJ Health Care Poll Online, July 19, 2007
