FDA warns Dollar Tree about imported drugs
The Dollar Tree chain has been warned by the Federal Drug Administration about buying poor quality over-the-counter drugs from foreign manufacturers for its stores.
The federal warning comes from an inspection of the Virginia-based headquarters of Greenbrier International, which does business as Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. The FDA said its inspections of the foreign manufacturing plants revealed “good manufacturing practice” violations.
“We are committed to our customers’ safety and have very robust and rigorous testing programs in place,” said Randy Guiler, spokesman for Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. He said the items cited by the FDA “are topical, not ingestible, products.” Guiler said the company plans to meet soon with the FDA to arrive at a plan that “will satisfy their requirements.”
In South Florida, Dollar Tree has stores in West
Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Parkland, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Fort Lauderdale, North Lauderdale, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, Coral Springs, Margate, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Sunrise, Miami, Miami Gardens and Miami Shores, according to the company’s website.
Family Dollar stores are located in West Palm Beach, Belle Glade, Clewiston, Pahokee, Lake Worth,
Lantana, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Oakland Park, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Lauderhill, Tamarac, Pembroke Park, Hialeah, North Miami, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Miami Shores.
The FDA said Greenbrier responded to the FDA’s January inspection concerns in February by saying the company was ceasing drug imports from any manufacturer placed on “import alert” by the FDA. But the federal agency said
it found that was not necessarily the case.
The warning cited the following.
Acme Treatment Pads from Shanghai Weierya Daily Chemicals Factory, which was issued an FDA warning in 2018.
Drugs from Hangzhou Zhongbo Industrial Co., which was issued an FDA warning letter in 2018.
Drugs from Ningbo Pulisi Daily Chemical Products Co. which received an FDA warning in 2019.
Products from Bicooya Cosmetics Limited, which was placed on import alert in 2017 for not testing drugs before distribution and for rodent feces in its manufacturing plant.
The FDA says the parent company of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar should submit a plan to audit its suppliers and remove cited drugs from its warehouses, stores or distribution network.