Pew Health Group to ensure safety of U.S. drug supply

On Wednesday, September 14, Allan Coukell, a pharmacist and director of medical programs at the Pew Health Group, will testify before the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee about the need for Congressional action to ensure the safety of the U.S. drug supply.

Nearly 80 percent of all pharmaceutical ingredients now originate outside the U.S. Increasingly, Americans rely on pharmaceuticals that are produced in foreign manufacturing facilities, many in developing countries where there is less regulatory oversight. The law needs to be updated to keep up with increasingly outsourced drug manufacturing.

As part of the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), Congress should focus on addressing risks to the U.S. drug supply.

WHAT: Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, entitled "Securing the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain"

WHEN: Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 10:00 A.M. ET

WHERE: Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Room, SD-430

WHO: Allan Coukell, director of medical programs, Pew Health Group