Yuck... this freaks me out too. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0"> This is so so dangerous!
I decided to do some digging on this process; my goodness the whole med manufacturing process is so long and complicated.
Here is some interesting information though:
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/Manufacturing/ucm169105.htm">Facts About Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)</a> ...the FDA requires pharmaceutical companies to be in compliance with these "cGMP guidelines." However, this article was rather vague in exactly what these guidelines WERE and how they would be implemented in any given pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. So, upon more digging, I found this.
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.gmp1st.com/drreg.htm">Current Good Manufacturing Practice In Manufacturing, Processing, Packing or Holding of Drugs; General and Current Good Manufacturing Practice For Finished Pharmaceuticals</a> ...very long and complex but outlines the process from start to finish. Take note of sections 211.84 and 211.167, for example.
It's this testing that resulted in them finding the contaminated raw material and knowing what to recall w/ that particular product, for example... but the problem lies in the fact that the stuff was already on store shelves by the time it was caught! B. cepacia is one of the deadliest things someone w/ CF can be infected with ...what good does this testing do, no matter how accurate it is, if it doesn't stop the product BEFORE it reaches the consumer?!