The FDA is often forced to wrestle with allowing imports of pharmaceuticals from labs that have demonstrated poor manufacturing practices or restrict them until the labs clean up their act. For the most part, the FDA will err on the side of supply over safety, especially in instances where the drugs made at labs with poor inspection results were not deemed dangerous.
The U.S. currently has over 300 different types of drugs in short supply. These shortages are now at record highs, CPA’s chief economist Jeff Ferry noted in an op-ed published by The Washington Times in April.