Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought out a bill to “combat America’s dependence on China for pharmaceuticals and to address associated supply chain risks that lead to shortages of critical drugs” that U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., will champion in the U.S. House.
Rubio’s office insisted that the “Further Strengthening America’s Supply Chains and National Security Act” would follow up on a report he crafted in 2019. That year, Rubio unveiled “Made in China 2025 and the Future of American Industry” in which he “detailed critical vulnerabilities in America’s medical supply chain” and warned of America’s overreliance on China for pharmaceutical production.” Rubio’s office insisted that COVID pandemic only confirmed those warnings.
“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how vulnerable America’s supply chains are. Three years later, we continue to be victims of a pharmaceutical supply chain that has been sent overseas. We cannot continue down this path; that is why I am introducing the Further Strengthening America’s Supply Chains and National Security Act to put an end to America’s dependence on other countries for key drugs,” said Rubio.
U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, and Mike Rounds, R-SD, are co-sponsoring the bill.
Waltz will introduce the bill in the House.
“Every day, thousands of Americans are struggling to fill their already overpriced prescriptions thanks to the drug shortages plaguing our country. To combat these shortages and skyrocketing drug prices, we must identify our supply chain vulnerabilities and build out a domestic capacity to produce high-quality, domestic pharmaceuticals. For the health and safety of Americans, our medical supply chains cannot continue to be in the hands of foreign entities, including our adversaries like China. We must demand more transparency over the manufacturing and quality of the drugs we import. That’s why I am proud to work with Senator Rubio to address these problems and fight to bring our drug supply chains home,” said Waltz.
The bill “closes the loophole created by the court decision in Acetris Health, LLC v. United States that allowed drugs with foreign active ingredients to qualify for government procurement as though they were drugs made in the United States; amends the foreign inspection risk factor list to improve oversight of facilities in China and other countries with questionable drug manufacturing quality standards; and requires drug makers to share more information with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about where pharmaceutical ingredients are sourced.”
Rubio’s bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
