Fortenberry Among Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Bringing Attention to Overseas Drug Inspections
By William Padmore, Host/Reporter Nebraska Public Media
March 10, 2021, 10:20 a.m. ·

Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry is among a bipartisan group of legislators attempting to bring attention to the issue of what they see as lax FDA inspections on drugs imported from overseas.
The topic was the focus of a recent House Appropriations Subcommittee meeting, on which Fortenberry is a ranking member.
Lawmakers were discussing whether the FDA’s Foreign Drug Inspection Program is doing its part to inspect all pharmaceutical drugs coming into the US from other countries.
“A ‘C’. that's the Grade that the Food and Drug Administration gets on the inspection of our drugs,” said Fortenberry. “That's according to the Director of Health Care at the Government Accountability Office, which recently conducted an extensive study on the safety of our drug supply.”
Fortenberry has long held that the US relies too heavily on outsourced drug production, an issue amplified by the pandemic.
He recommends the FDA establish a grading system for drug companies to discourage bad actors from cheating on inspections at home and abroad.