[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 154 (Friday, September 26, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9715-S9716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BROWN:
  S. 3633. A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to 
require country of origin labeling on prescription and over-the-counter 
drugs; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, in the past year, 149 Americans died after 
taking tainted Heparin, a widely used blood thinner. It was later 
learned--as reported in the New York Times--that the contaminant 
derived from pig intestines was produced in ``largely unregulated'' 
Chinese workshops. Unfortunately, Heparin is not the only drug that 
relies on this dangerous brand of outsourcing. More and more, drug 
companies are taking advantage of cheap labor and weak safety standards 
found outside of the U.S. to manufacture the pharmaceuticals later used 
in American hospitals and households. According to a Pfizer 
representative who testified before the Senate Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions in April, Pfizer outsources the 
manufacture of 17 percent of its drug products.
  Consumers have a right to know where their drugs are produced. That 
is why I am today introducing the Transparency in Drug Labeling Act. 
This bill would require country-of-origin labeling for both active and 
inactive ingredients on all pharmaceuticals, both prescription and 
over-the-counter. These new drug labels would list all the countries 
that played a role in the manufacturing of ingredients for the drug. 
The order of the list would be determined by the percentage of the drug 
produced in each country, with the largest contributors appearing at 
the top.
  This bill would raise consumers' awareness of where their drugs are 
being produced. It would also allow companies who produce their drugs 
in the U.S. to advertise that fact. Drug companies that produce their 
drugs in the U.S. and follow the corresponding safety and regulatory 
standards should be rewarded with increased consumer confidence in 
their products.

[[Page S9716]]

  This bill takes a proactive approach to keeping Americans safe in our 
global, interdependent economy. When we import from overseas, we are 
importing the health, labor and environmental standards of those 
countries as well. Consumers have a right to know where their 
medications originate. This bill would satisfy that reasonable demand.
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