US Senate passes drug import safety bill

The bill gives US regulators new tools to combat drug counterfeiting and shortages while allowing inspecting more drug manufacturing facilities in China, India and other foreign countries, The Associated Press reported.

The Senate bill gives the FDA more discretion to focus on foreign facilities and the agency can avoid inspecting all US factories every two years.

At present, the FDA inspects the average foreign manufacturing facility once every nine years.

Under the bill, FDA inspectors would be instructed to aim the most problematic manufacturing sites, despite of location.