Blumenthal Statement On FDA’s Surprise Inspections Of Large Compounding Pharmacies

(Hartford, CT) -- Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement in response to recent reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting surprise inspections of large compounding pharmacies across the country as a result of the deadly meningitis outbreak last fall that was linked to tainted drugs:

"At a hearing on November 17, I asked FDA Commissioner Hamburg to make it a priority to scrutinize the 3,000 existing compounding pharmacies, and to take steps to prevent public safety threats by renegade manufacturers. The inspections in recent days are a welcome step, but also evidence of a wider systemic problem that warrants additional, intense oversight by the FDA and Congress."