U.S. FDA seeks India post for food, drug checks

By Lisa Richwine and Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hopes to establish operations in India by year's end to better police the growing volume of food, medicines, medical devices and animal feed exported to the United States, a top official told Reuters on Thursday.

FDA Deputy Commissioner Murray Lumpkin said India was the next priority for the agency after it sets up offices in China to boost inspections and improve oversight.

"Our hope is we would be able at least to begin having a presence in India toward the end of this calendar year, or at the very beginning ... of 2009," Lumpkin said in an interview.

Concern about the quality of foreign-made food and medicines grew after a series of recalls last year of tainted pet food, toothpaste, seafood and other products from China.

Earlier this year, the deaths of dozens of patients given the blood-thinning drug heparin led to an FDA investigation. Agency officials said they found a contaminant in batches made with ingredients from China.

The agency has a limited budget for inspections and checks few foreign manufacturing plants now. After criticism for lax oversight, officials this year requested an infusion of money from Congress and announced plans to build a presence around the globe with inspectors and other staff.

An initial priority is setting up three offices in China this year, followed by stationing staff in New Delhi and Mumbai, Lumpkin said.

India warrants attention because it exports a large volume of products to the United States and is an increasingly popular site for drug company clinical trials, which the FDA also has the responsibility to monitor, Lumpkin said.