This has been a question of mine for quite some time. I am interested in any information you find.
Paging an expert. ping!
A friend’s Mother called Kroger to find out the country of origin for an OTC and they wouldn’t tell her.
Seriously, I've never even thought of that. Is there a 'pill pusher' ping list here Mr. Pharmacist?
Nam Vet
Here’s an article I bookmarked last year that probably provides some hints:
“Vitamin C prices have spiked this year. China controls 80 percent of the market.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0720/p01s01-woap.html
There have been several attempts at legislation to require that country of orgin be provided on more items, particularly imported food items. But lobbyists and bought and paid for congressmen and senators have managed to defeat most attempts . There were attempts to revive some of that legislation lately as more and more horror stories of lead paint and other problems with Chinese imports surfaced, but I haven’t heard how that fared.
This story of China cornering the market on Vitamin C is also a lesson for our resident free trade ideologues. Once a cheap labor nation like China has lured a big chunk of the production of a specific item, then the monopolistic instincts kick in and they begin to raise prices.
We’ll see more of that as more production is moved to the world’s cheapest labor. After all the destroyed industries in the US, and the lost jobs for families and communities, many products will be no cheaper than they were a decade or two ago when so-called free trade began to (predictably) destroy unprotected industries (yes, ‘free’ trade agreements protect some industries and expose others).
That one article contains many things to be thought about, by critical thinkers, not by a bunch of so-called free traders regurgitating what they heard some college economics professor say years ago.
But having socialized health care will fix all that, right?
In fact this was on my mind yesterday when I viewed a TV Commercial for Walmart prescription drugs for $4.00. As they closed up on this woman stating how affordable (cheap) it is. I paused and wonder where are they getting these drugs from for them to offer them so very cheap.
Walgreens sells a OTC Claritin. It is labeled as made in India
My prescription supplier (2 generic meds) Caremark will not tell me either but sends a statement that all are made in inspected plants approved by the FDA
"At the moment, consumers have no way of knowing where their drugs are produced or assembled, because there are no requirements for country-of-origin labeling of drugs."
IMO, related to this story is that most physicians have become nothing more than “pill pushers” who are wined and dined by drug companies. A visit to the doctor these days results in three or four prescriptions in your hand when you leave regardless of what you went in for.
After taking four blood pressure medications that all had terrible side effects, I’m looking for a natural remedy to lower BP. Any ideas anyone?
I’m very interested also.
I avoid any Mainland Chinese foodstuff. I know I am eating some inadvertently, wheat gluten comes to mind but I go out of my way to avoid any I know about.
Esp. Fish.
I just tossed a Honduran cantaloupe this morning because of a salmonella scare.
When will we wake up??
The only thing I can add is I know Vytorin is made in Singapore. Says so on the label.