Read Politico’s Story On The Report Here
Today, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rick Scott (R-FL)—-ranking member and chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, respectively—-released an investigative report detailing America’s overreliance on foreign-manufactured generic drugs, from cancer treatments to over-the-counter painkillers. The report, titled “Protecting Seniors’ Access to Essential Medications: Securing the Foreign Generic Pharmaceutical Supply Chain,” describes the need to protect American patients by increasing oversight of the generic drug supply chain, boosting domestic production of generic drugs, and investing in American biotechnology research.
“In the richest country in the world, our constituents shouldn’t have to worry about the safety and availability of the drugs they need to fight devastating diseases like cancer,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Making sure that the supply chain for generic drugs continues to be safe and reliable is essential to protect American patients, and this report is a critical first step to that end. We must increase oversight over foreign-manufactured generic drugs through improved enforcement power and a robust Food and Drug Administration (FDA) foreign inspector workforce. We must also boost domestic production of generic drugs and investments in cutting-edge biotechnology research to make sure that all Americans have access to the high-quality medications they need. Generic drugs are a critical option to keep prescription drug prices affordable, but that cannot come at the expense of quality. As ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, I am committed to working on bipartisan solutions to secure the prescription drug supply chain, and I encourage the Trump administration and my colleagues in Congress to work together to heed the recommendations of this report so we can protect American patients.”
“The United States’ overreliance on foreign-made generic drugs, especially those made in adversarial nations, is a very real threat to all Americans, but especially our aging population,” said Senator Scott. “Not only have we had many recorded cases of these imported, generic drugs being contaminated and causing death and injury, if Communist China, our adversary, or India shut off the flow of these essential drugs, the U.S. would only have months of prescription drug supply, forcing us to begin rationing drugs and turning away all but the most in need within a matter of weeks! Our seniors deserve better, and this report is just the beginning as we expose this national security and public health crises and how to fix it by increasing Food and Drug Administration oversight and bringing generic drug production back to America. Congress has to work with the Trump administration and act now to make sure that Americans have safe and high-quality drugs and to secure the prescription drug supply chain.”
On September 17, Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Gillibrand held a hearing with expert witnesses highlighting the national security and public health crises caused by America’s dependence on foreign-made generic drugs and their ingredients. In a second hearing on October 8, the Aging Committee again heard from witnesses who discussed recommendations to secure America’s pharmaceutical supply chains and ensure access to high-quality, life-saving generic drugs that millions of Americans–including seniors–rely on.
Highlights of the report include:
- In 2024, the U.S. manufactured 37% of its consumed pharmaceuticals, a stark decline from 2002 when that figure was 83%.
- China accounts for 95% of U.S. imports of ibuprofen, 70% of U.S. imports of acetaminophen, and up to 45% of U.S. imports of penicillin.
- Approximately 90% of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for global antibiotics are of Chinese origin, and 83% of the top 100 generic drugs consumed by U.S. citizens have no U.S.-based source of APIs.
- While India supplies approximately half of all generic drugs used in the U.S., Indian manufacturers rely on China for approximately 80% of the API that they use.
- According to a 2025 study, the occurrence of serious adverse events for generic drugs manufactured in India was 54% higher than for equivalent drugs that were manufactured in the United States. Adverse events were hospitalization, disability, and death.
The report recommends the following solutions to start addressing these problems and securing safe and reliable generic drug access for all Americans:
- Establish a federal buyer’s market for essential medicines, prioritizing American made products first, and prioritizing near- and friend-shoring if American-made products are not available
- Map our generic drug supply chains
- Require companies to disclose country of origin for finished pharmaceuticals
- Utilize trade levers like the administration’s 232 investigation authority
- Pass clarifying language to close loopholes that allow foreign-made products to be categorized as “Made in America”
- Support U.S. biotechnology
Read the full report HERE.
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