Bills target medical supply chain, manufacturing issues

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has introduced two measures he said are designed to address medical supply chain vulnerabilities while increasing capacity for domestic manufacturing of drugs and medical devices.

The Pharmaceutical Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency (PART) Act would expand reporting requirements for manufacturers and require quarterly disclosures to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on critical manufacturing data such as which medications and what in amount – including active pharmaceutical ingredients – are produced domestically and abroad.

The Help Onshore Manufacturing Efficiencies for Drugs and Devices Act (HOME) Act, would help reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources for critical drugs and medical supplies and ramp up American manufacturing capacity.

“For decades, the United States has failed to adequately take stock of its growing dependence on foreign sources of critical drugs and medical supplies. And now Michiganders and people across the country are suffering the consequences and struggling to obtain the personal protective equipment, ventilators, testing kits and medicine needed to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic,” Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said. “It’s long past time the federal government acted to address these mistakes, which is why I’m proud to introduce these vital bills to strengthen visibility into our supply chains and bring manufacturing for critical drugs back where it belongs – the United States and Michigan.”