President
“The coronavirus pandemic brought home that core elements of our medical-supply chain are just as strategic to our national security as, say, nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers are, and have to be treated with that same kind of approach, which is to say that we have core domestic manufacturing capabilities” Azar said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio on Tuesday.
“It might mean that we have to use our powers under the Defense Production Act or otherwise to fund and incentivize domestic manufacturing” for pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment, he said. The act gives the president authority to order businesses to prioritize federal needs.
The U.S. drug industry is largely dependent on overseas manufacturers, particularly in China, for key building blocks known as active pharmaceutical ingredients. As the pandemic shut down much of China’s economy earlier this year, drug production there was
On Monday, Trump Chief of Staff
“He’s deeply committed to the concept that people should have the freedom to get their drugs imported from abroad if they can get them in a safe, effective way that reduces their cost,” Azar said.
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