Indiana voices are front and center in a national debate over drug safety and supply.

George Ball, associate professor of operations and decision technologies in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, testified before lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in Washington last week, saying flaws in the system for generic drugs put patients at risk.

“The root cause of the generic drug quality problem is the original design of the generic drug marketplace, requiring little quality verification and no transparency,” Ball explained.

Ball pointed out the market structure encourages cutting costs instead of ensuring quality. Supporters of overseas manufacturing argued it helps keep drug prices affordable. Critics countered safety and oversight must come first.

Ball noted his research showed generic drugs made in India, especially older drugs, have more serious side effects than those made in the U.S.

“We find that generic drugs made in India, particularly older ones that have lower profit margins with greater incentives to cut costs, have significantly more serious adverse events than equivalent generics made in the U.S.,” Ball stressed.

Ball added two changes would help. First, make the location and quality of drugs transparent to consumers. Second, hold foreign plants to the same inspection standards as U.S. facilities. He believes those steps would make medicine safer for Hoosiers and all Americans.