US Food and Drug Administration to increase India staff

[OhioChick]

Source: Economic Times of India

27 Sep, 2011, 05.53AM IST, ET Bureau

MUMBAI: The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has decided to increase its India staff as the US has become one of the largest consumers of Indian foods and medicines. The USFDA, which started India operations in 2008, has 12 staff members in the country, including one inspector each in Mumbai and Delhi.

The USFDA has international operations only in India and China. "We have found that the US is the one of the largest consumers of Indian generic medicines, hence the need to increase the inspecting staff," said an FDA official , who did not wish to be quoted. The export of food items from India to the US is also going up.

According to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, India is the largest exporter of generic medicines in the world. It exports medicines worth . 50,000 crore, bulk of which goes to the US. Apart from generic medicines, India also exports dietary and nutraceutical supplements and sea food like shrimps to the United States. Outside the US, India has the highest number of FDA approved plants, at 120.

But there are concerns too, as Indian manufacturers often get warning letters from FDA due to their scarce understanding of FDA guidelines. "Today maximum inspections happen in India ," said Daara Patel, secretary-general , Indian Drug Manufacturers Association .

Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/us-food-and-drug-administration-to-increase-india-staff/articleshow/10134505.cms

[tropicanarose]

1. I am so sick of jobs going to India.

[bitchkitty]

3. I'm not sure that's the case here.

Is the FDA sending more staff to India, or recruiting from the workforce there?

And since the job involves inspecting products from India, where else should the job be located?

[tropicanarose]

4. My reaction is just based on a general desire for more American job. In this case,it is our FDA rop

and they are talking about increasing their Indian work force--are those jobs going to go to Indians or to Americans who will be working for the FDA in India?
We had a recent post here about India complaining that they weren't getting enough work visas for the USA......we have plenty of unemployment here. I don't have a problem with India and know it is an international marketplace, but still, as an American, I believe that our jobs and especially our government jobs (this is the FDA we are talking about in this article) should be held by Americans.

[ChromeFoundry]

2. ..."scarce understanding of FDA guidelines"... WTF

And this is where most of our medications are imported from???? Lovely.

[Poll_Blind]

5. And yet notice how being able to buy drugs from Canada is verboten?

PB

[closeupready]

6. I actually support this, as I think methods of production can be better monitored

at place of production than place of consumption. Sounds obvious, but some of the work conditions there are worrisome, and it would be difficult to know that just looking at the end product.

[1776Forever]

7. Oh my does this ever make me ill! I know someday I am going to wake up to headlines - thousands ill

from India/China made drugs - or worse:( We asked for it and we WILL get it:hangover:

[Celebration]

8. who knows what this is about

Bye bye turmeric?????? Payback for India for blocking the patents on ayurvedic supplements? I wouldn't be surprised.

Be assured this has nothing to do with lab conditions for big pharma medications.