China’s dominance in drug manufacturing is a national security issue, Bloomberg’s Anna Edney reports.
Details: American officials have expressed two concerns:
- If China ever decided to cut off the flow of drugs and active ingredients, the U.S. (and many other countries) would likely face steep shortages.
- Safety and quality lapses in Chinese manufacturing also pose a risk to the U.S., including drugs taken by military personnel.
“The national security risks of increased Chinese dominance of the global [active pharmaceutical ingredient] market cannot be overstated,” the Defense Health Agency’s Christopher Priest told an advisory panel last week, per Bloomberg.