US Legislation Will Ensure Tighter Checks on Foreign Drug Factories

US lawmakers are taking steps to increase the safety of drugs manufactured on foreign soil.

The US Senate has passed new legislation that should see more stringent checks on overseas drug manufacturing facilities.

At present, around four-fifths of pharmaceutical ingredients used in US medicines are made in foreign countries such as China and India.

But the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only performs inspections on these factories every nine years, on average, according to the Associated Press.

Under the Senate bill, FDA inspectors will no longer be required to perform checks on all factories on home soil every two years, enabling them to spend more time focusing their inspections on operations overseas.