Trump orders stockpiling of advanced drug ingredients
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President Trump on Wednesday ordered his health officials to secure a six-month supply of advanced pharmaceutical ingredients for drugs the administration determines are critical for national health and security.
Why it matters: The move continues efforts started during the Biden administration to reshore the medical supply chain and reduce the reliance on overseas manufacturers, especially China.
- The government has already directed millions of dollars toward developing domestic sources for key ingredients used in treatments for asthma, diabetes and anxiety.
Driving the news: Trump's new executive order directs the assistant secretary of health for preparedness and response, or ASPR, to develop a list of about 26 drugs deemed vital to national health and security.
- The ASPR would obtain a six-month supply of advanced pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs, to be placed in a strategic reserve, with a preference for domestically manufactured products.
- The administration also plans to update a 2022 list of 86 essential medicines and propose a plan to obtain and store a six-month supply of APIs for those drugs.
- That list contained blood thinners, anticonvulsants, cardiovascular drugs and antivirals.
A White House fact sheet states that only about 10% of advanced pharmaceutical ingredients for U.S. prescription drugs are manufactured domestically, leaving the country vulnerable to foreign supply chain disruptions.
- The White House blamed the Biden administration for not doing enough to advance domestic production or to fill the strategic reserve.
