CNN discovers widespread fraud in nitrile glove market

Tens of millions of counterfeit and used nitrile medical gloves have been imported into the United States from Thailand, according to a CNN investigation. The industry is rife with fraud, experts said, and they are just beginning to grasp the magnitude of the problem, which puts patients and front-line workers at risk. Companies warned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the problem in February, but the flow of sub-standard gloves continued at least until July, aided in part by the FDA's temporary suspension of import regulations earlier in the pandemic. The agency told CNN it is taking "a number of steps to find and stop those selling unapproved products by leveraging our experience investigating, examining and reviewing medical products, both at the border and within domestic commerce." (CNN Health article, 10/25/21)