Fresenius CEO Warns China Drug Reliance as Risky as Rare Earths

Europe’s reliance on imported drug ingredients is as dangerous as its dependence on rare earths, according to Fresenius SE Chief Executive Officer Michael Sen, who urged governments to accelerate plans to rebuild local production.

“We are hugely dependent on active pharmaceutical ingredients,” Sen said on a conference call Wednesday. “The media talks a lot about rare earths, but I would say that this dependence is at least as great, and the consequences could be very serious.”

The German health-care executive cited some antibiotics that are only manufactured at one plant in China, a potential threat to supply as well ...