WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott, chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer asking that the administration consider Section 232 action and tariffs on foreign-made generic drugs as they advance President Trump’s America first agenda and protect our national interests. In his letter, Chairman Scott raises concerns about the serious risks of relying on adversarial nations like Communist China for the vast majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients in our drug supply, affecting seniors excessively, and notes that Section 232 tariffs would help address this overreliance and strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain.
Chairman Scott has repeatedly highlighted the dangers of America’s growing overreliance on foreign-made generic drugs, stressing the serious implications for both national security and public health. The committee recently held a hearing on the issue and is set to hold a second hearing tomorrow, October 8th to identify potential solutions to these system vulnerabilities. Additionally, the chairman previously sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, urging stronger oversight of drug imports and greater accountability for the safety of pharmaceuticals manufactured overseas.
Read the full letter HERE or below:
Dear Secretary Lutnick and Ambassador Greer:
Thank you both for your leadership in advancing President Trump’s America First agenda and protecting Americans from foreign adversarial threats. I am proud to work with you and the entire administration to advance these shared goals.
In pursuit of this goal, I urge you to take decisive action in the Section 232 investigation into U.S. dependence on imported pharmaceuticals.
For years, I expressed concerns about the vulnerability of the United States’ pharmaceutical supply chains and its overreliance on adversaries, like Communist China, and I have been examining this overreliance on foreign-manufactured generic drugs and the risks it poses to our national security in my role as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
Generics make up 90% of prescriptions filled in the United States, yet 70–80% of these generics use active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from Communist China and India. Considering the U.S. depends on overseas manufacturers for about 75% of its essential drug supply and that approximately 83% of the top 100 generic drugs consumed by U.S. citizens have no U.S.-based source of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, it is clear our supply chain is dangerously exposed.
Cancer drug shortages, heparin supply disruptions, and instability in antibiotics and injectables demonstrate the risks this overreliance poses to the American people. A recent study analyzing more than 2,400 generic drugs sold in the U.S. found that foreign generics “were associated with a 54% greater risk of serious adverse events – including hospitalization, disability, and death – compared with equivalent domestically made medicines.” We have the capability, demand, and a clear market for domestically produced generics – with 85% of hospital pharmacists willing to pay more for domestic, generic drugs.
We’ve also seen China place export restrictions on rare earth elements over trade negotiations before, and there’s no reason they can’t do the same for pharmaceuticals. The integrity of our supply chain requires reducing exposure to strategic vulnerabilities, and generic medicines from China and India present a clear vulnerability for any American who steps foot into a pharmacy.
To address this ongoing threat, I respectfully request the immediate application of Section 232 tariffs on foreign generic medicines (including active pharmaceutical ingredients and key starting materials), or at a minimum, a public commitment to a phased-in tariff regime that places generics on the same tariff footing as other imported pharmaceuticals within 12 months.
I sincerely appreciate your outstanding leadership and stand ready to work with you and my colleagues in support of a secure national medicine supply. To protect Americans’ health and safety, it is critical that we take action to ensure they can buy quality, generic drugs.
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