Rep. Buchanan introduces bill to rebuild stockpile of critical medicines

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced legislation that would create a new federal office responsible for stockpiling adequate supplies of critical medicines in the United States.

The Securing America’s Medicine Cabinet Act authorizes $100 million to create National Centers of Excellence for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing to manufacture more active pharmaceutical ingredients within the United States. These new centers will be developed through public-private partnerships between higher education institutions and private sector entities to discover new pharmaceutical processes.

“Every day, we are learning more about China’s malicious intentions, from lying about the origins of the coronavirus to threatening to cut off drug supplies to American citizens during a pandemic,” Buchanan said. “It’s clear we must take immediate steps to make our country more independent when it comes to producing life-saving medicines.”

Buchanan said that 80 percent of the raw ingredients used to manufacture many medications and antibiotics are produced overseas, primarily in China. Chinese pharmaceutical companies supply between 80 percent and 90 percent of U.S. antibiotics, 70 percent of acetaminophen, and about 40 percent of heparin, stated Buchanan. U.S. companies have increasingly imported pharmaceutical products from countries around the world, where ingredients are cheaper and subject to fewer regulations.

“As we confront the coronavirus, it has become clear how dangerously reliant we are on China and the global supply chain for pharmaceutical products,” Buchanan said. “We must act swiftly to ensure that America is never again forced to rely on other countries for critical drug components and life-saving drugs.” He added that it was “unconscionable that other nations would use a global pandemic to hold countries hostage for these vital medications. The Securing America’s Medicine Cabinets Act would ensure that the United States is never put in this vulnerable position again.”

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).