03.16.20 - If this crisis has exposed anything, it is how imperative it is that we keep pharmaceutical supply chains within our own borders. We have laws that prevent the manufacturing of our defensive equipment and weapons outside of our borders for the sake of national security. These laws need to extend to medical devices and pharmaceuticals, as this extends to national security our public health is national security. Foreign reliance for pharmaceutical production is incredibly hazardous especially when these manufacturing hubs may not have their own houses in order to our standards.
The global spread of the coronavirus is reigniting efforts by the White House to encourage more American manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and reduce dependence on China for the drugs and medical products that fuel the federal health care system.
The administration has been preparing an executive order, which could be released in the coming days, that would close loopholes allowing the government to purchase pharmaceuticals, face masks, ventilators, and other medical products from foreign countries. The hope is that increasing government demand for domestically made drugs and medical products will provide an incentive for companies to make their products in the United States, rather than China.
To help facilitate such production, the White House is also pushing for streamlined regulatory approvals for American-made products and more detailed labeling of the origin of products made offshore, these people said.
Source: New York Times
