Coronavirus draws attention to FDA oversight of Chinese drugs

Lawmakers are raising concerns anew about the U.S. reliance on foreign drug manufacturing amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak that has pushed FDA inspectors out of China. The novel disease outbreak could spark medical product shortages if the epidemic is not resolved swiftly, experts say. The challenges come as Chinese drug manufacturing has been in Congress's spotlight following a series of warnings last year about contaminated batches of foreign-made drugs. “There is emerging and I think correct issues about … how much we rely on production in China for basic drugs and all kinds of medical supplies,” Rep. Greg Walden, the House Energy and Commerce committee ranking Republican, said this week.