Melody,
Fortunately, the likelyhood of such a tragedy as this happening in the US now is VERY REMOTE owing to the stringent pharmaceutical manufacturing processes that govern both generic and ethical drug makers here in the US. It's what is called cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Process) and together with the efforts of the FDA it ensures the integrity of the ingredients in a drug or generic including the API itself (active pharmaceutical ingredient), the excipients, the binders, and anything else in the product. There are numerous checks and balances throughout the process that ensure the identity and purity of every ingredient whether they are manufactured in the US or obtained from outside the country.

If a domestic or foreign supplier was identifed as a participant in a scheme like the Chinese company, then their ability to do business w/ the US generic and ethical drug companies is ZERO.

I don't think you need to worry about generics or ethical drugs made in the US but an area always for some concern is homeopathic or herbal meds since there are no formal controls on these suppliers and manufacturers as far as I know. Domestic suppliers are probably just fine but foreign suppliers could pose a problem depending upon the country of origin - not necessarily a danger of severe illness or death.

Don't stop taking your cough syrup - hope this helps to ease your concerns a bit - if not I'll try to explain better.

Alkymst