Jan. 16 – In order to ensure the safty and quality of food and drug products being exported from India to the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently opened two offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.
The move is part of the FDA's Beyond Our Borders Initiative, which will place 35 personnel in 14 locations around the world. The FDA has already opened offices in China and further plans to start offices in Mexico, South America, Europe and the Middle East.
The move into India by the FDA is two pronged – a US government audit last year said the FDA’s infrastructure was inadequate to inspect factories that export drugs to the U.S..To compound their problem further, India is also the fourth largest exporter by volume of drugs and biologics, especially generics, to the US. The Indian pharmaceutical industry had exported drugs worth about US$7.4 billion (Rs 363.6 billion) last year.
The offices will aim to provide technical advice, conduct inspections of facilities that export to the United States, and work with Indian government agencies and the private sector to develop certification programs to allow the efficient flow of safe FDA-regulated goods between the United States and India.
