More Outsourcing Planned for FDA Overseas Factory Inspections

U.S. regulators plan to outsource more inspections of overseas factories within the next decade after criticism from Congress about a lack of oversight for food and drugs made in other countries.

The Food and Drug Administration aims to increase its reliance on third-party inspectors and has started reaching out to industry trade groups about the change, John Taylor, the agency’s acting principal deputy commissioner, said today. The agency will work more closely with other countries and share findings, potentially reducing the number of inspections plants would undergo each year, he said.