Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, has asked the FDA to disclose how it evaluates product safety and to make drugmakers more accountable for products that fail to meet standards. In particular, he expresses concern over drugmakers that “take advantage of weak drug safety standards abroad.”

In a statement, he refers to recent Congressional testimony by Janet Woodcock, who heads the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in which she cited analyst comments that drugmakers outsource operations because of “lower, less stringent standards in some parts of the world,” in addition to lower labor costs in developing countries.

At the same hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, a representative from Pfizer confirmed that 17 percent of the company’s active ingredients and drug manufacturing is outsourced.

“It is no coincidence that drug ingredients produced in countries with weak safety standards are often contaminated,” Brown says in his statement. “The FDA must immediately review pharmaceutical outsourcing and make necessary changes to keep American consumers safe.”

This link takes you to his statement, and his letters to the FDA and Pfizer.