Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and The Recall Unsafe Drugs Act
On February 16, 2017, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) introduced The Recall Unsafe Drugs Act, which would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandatory recall authority over drugs and homeopathic products.
The FDA only had mandatory recall authority over other products that the agency regulates, such as medical devices, food, and biological products. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong with drugs, the FDA has to rely on the good faith of drug manufacturers to recall their products. More often than not, drug manufacturers heed the warnings of the FDA when products are causing harm. However, there are times when manufacturers refuse to recall their products, even with overwhelming evidence suggesting that they are causing illness or even death to consumers.
On January 10, 2020, DeLauro held a press conference to reiterate her call to ban sales of ranitidine—the active ingredient in Zantac—and reintroduced the Recall Unsafe Drugs Act. Her legislation would give the FDA mandatory recall authority over drugs and homeopathic products. Joining her in the news conference were:
- David Light, Founder & CEO of Valisure;
- Joe Graedon, Pharmacologist and Co-Host of The People’s Pharmacy on NPR; and
- Dr. Jon Ernstoff, Gastroenterologist at MidState Medical Center in Connecticut
On February 4, 2022, DeLauro celebrated the inclusion of the Recall Unsafe Drugs Act in America COMPETES Act of 2022, which passed the house that morning. DeLauro’s legislation has worked tirelessly to close this loophole and enable the FDA to step in and issue mandatory recalls.
