Introducing Rx Inspector, ProPublica’s Prescription Drug Lookup Tool
ProPublica • • business
Key Points:
- ProPublica has launched Rx Inspector, a database revealing the manufacturers and factory locations of generic drugs, along with FDA inspection reports and compliance violations, addressing the lack of transparency from the FDA.
- The FDA provides limited and scattered information about foreign factories producing generic drugs, often withholding factory names even when serious violations like mold or contamination are found.
- Generic drugs constitute 90% of U.S. prescriptions, yet consumers typically cannot identify the actual manufacturers due to labeling practices listing distributors or repackagers instead.
- Rx Inspector allows users to input drug details, including pill markings or distributor names, to trace the actual manufacturer, factory location, and any FDA inspection history or warning letters associated with that facility.
- While the data is
