Prognosis
Troubled Overseas Drugmakers Get Free Pass in Coronavirus Crisis
- Some therapies for Covid-19 patients increasingly hard to get
- Plants in India cited for not following rules fill supply gaps
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U.S. regulators are allowing overseas pharmaceutical plants with checkered safety and quality records to make prescription drugs for Americans in an effort to fill supply gaps caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Medications needed to care for the sickest virus patients are becoming more scarce at the same time that a surge in U.S. infections is forcing hospitals to stretch staff, beds and supplies of protective equipment. In an attempt to bolster the drug supply, companies in India are stepping in despite U.S. inspectors having flagged their facilities for poor sanitation, manipulation of quality-control data and other infractions.