there's nothing wrong with medicines exported from china, assuming all the proper
procedures, especially those for testing and hygiene, have been followed. but given
the current system, i would not make that assumption.
meds for domestic consumption are another, very scary, matter. the problem is that
our pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing to the lowest bidder and are not fully
aware of the way business is done in other cultures. despite the government, the
chinese at heart are extreme capitalists. anything for a buck (or a yuan). the
business mindset can be summed up by one of the many many many many many
sayings: "if you're not cheating your customers, then you're cheating yourself."
that applies to the guy in a cheap suit with the 6" pinkie fingernail who won the
contract, and to the 47 tiny factories spread out over 13 provinces that he farms
the work out to, and to the suppliers of those factories, and to the local inspectors,
and the workers as well. signing a contract does not signal the end of negotiations.
it just means you've won the first skirmish, with more battles to come. it's not
uncommon for a factory owner to change suppliers several times over the course
of a production run, never reporting this to the contract holder. his suppliers,
and the suppliers' suppliers are doing it, too. imagine trying to maintain quality
control in this kind of environment.
unfortunately, the mindset also applies to the major pharmaceutical companies, who
would be doing the same thing in western countries but for
government inspections and enforced health and safety standards. so they
outsource to third-world countries to save a buck (does that saved buck ever
show up in lower consumer costs? didn't think so.) in labor and material costs,
but they're also saving even more in lower testing and inspection fees, running
a sampling system that would be appropriate for a single factory in a western
country turning out large lots of homogeneous product.
for the time being, i mail-order my meds from india or england or canada, or sometimes
have friends in the states send a small parcel of whatever med along with a case
of little debbie snack cakes.
