WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to better understand the Department of Defense’s reliance on high-risk foreign suppliers for critical medications. The Department of Defense (DoD), which purchases drugs for the U.S. military, relies on the commercial supply chain to purchase their pharmaceuticals. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how America’s overreliance on foreign suppliers for essential medications – and the ingredients needed to manufacture them – presents significant national and health security risks. According to the Food and Drug Administration, nearly 80 percent of the facilities that produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) – the key ingredients that give a drug its intended effect – are located outside of the United States. The bill would require DoD to expand its assessment of reliance on high-risk foreign manufacturers by identifying the key ingredient suppliers for DoD’s critical drug supply chains.
“Understanding our reliance on high-risk foreign nations for critical drugs and their key ingredients is crucial to protecting our national and health security,” said Senator Peters. “My bipartisan legislation ensures the Department of Defense will continue to rigorously assess its pharmaceutical supply chains to pinpoint vulnerabilities that could lead to supply chain disruptions and drug shortages. With this information, we can take more informed steps toward mitigating these risks and ensuring a stable supply of critical medications for our servicemembers and people across the country.”
“China’s stranglehold on critical pharmaceutical ingredients the U.S. depends on poses a national security threat,” said Senator Ernst. “Through the Pharmaceutical Risk Assessment and Mitigation Act, I am working to strengthen the supply chain and reduce our reliance on our adversary. By taking action now, we can protect the health of our citizens in the future.”
U.S. overreliance on foreign sources for critical drugs and their key ingredients continues to raise health and national security concerns. A March 2023 report by Peters found that DoD generally was unable to identify if any of the drugs it purchases rely exclusively on sources in China and India. Peters’ report also found that approximately 90 to 95 percent of generic injectable drugs used for acute care in the U.S. depend on raw materials from China and India, according to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of Chinese-based active pharmaceutical suppliers registered with the Food and Drug Administration more than doubled.
The Pharmaceutical Risk Assessment and Mitigation Act would require DoD to expand its analyses into the agency’s reliance on high-risk foreign suppliers for critical drug supply chains. DoD would be required to identify the key materials needed to make essential medicines, assess any limitations to DoD’s analyses, and implement a plan to address those limitations.
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