Posted by
Frigglesnitz on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 4:33:01 PM
Continuing my tirade against prescription drugs from China, the fact is that we do not know exactly in what countries our drugs are manufactured, nor do we know whether the ingredients are "safe" (quotes used here because hardly any drug or ingredient can be thought of as completely safe to every potential consumer). Are there unsafe ingredients known to the manufacturer? We will never know. Who would make such an announcement?
I can see the headlines now:
"___________ PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES DRUGS MANUFACTURED IN CHINA"
"___________ Pharmaceuticals list all drugs it manufactured in China"
And the list will follow.
Yes, indeed, can't you just see it?
I know of no drug maker eager to commit suicide. However, if such were the intent, those headlines would do the trick. They would be out of business in a week.
And can you imagine Fox News on the story? Could you see CNN on the story? NBC? ABC? CBS? The newspapers? Townhall.com?
That, my friends, would be news. And it ain't gonna happen.
I have begun a concerted effort to refrain from purchasing anything made in China. I realize first of all that I will have to do without water chestnuts, an important ingredient in one of my favorite home-made dishes. Perhaps I can substitute chopped celery. Anything but something made in China.
One of our aspirin bottles bears the distributor's name and telephone number. They received a call from me recently concerning the origin of manufacture. I learned they were made here in the good old U.S.A. Wow!
My plan is to contact the distributor named on each of my prescriptions, if there is one, and learn the country of manufacture. This will be difficult if the drug has been repackaged by the local pharmacy, but the subject will then be pursued with the pharmacist.
I am determined to do my part -- to start a one-woman campaign -- to boycott all products made in China. I may be the only one doing so, but it will bring enormous satisfaction to me.
Another campaign I will start is this: make it a law for all drugs to be labeled as to the country of manufacture. How many do you suppose are manufactured here in the U.S.? Precious few, is my guess.
Also, along with that latter campaign is this: if there is a manufacturing tax write-off for the U.S. manufacturer outsourcing manufacturing to other countries, this should be stopped quicker than Vick.