How Important Is It To Bring Pharma Manufacturing Of American Drugs Back To America? Is This A Practical Or Political Issue?

THE MANUFACTURING OF DRUGS IN AMERICA IS A PRACTICAL ISSUE but may entail a political solution. The ongoing and tragic COVID-19 pandemic has underscored how complex, international supply chains can be disrupted unexpectedly and limit drug availability. Yet, the pressures to reduce drug costs often drive companies to source starting materials and manufacture final products outside the U.S.

By incentivizing companies to maintain manufacturing of critical drugs, at least in part, in the U.S., we would minimize risk for disruption. By not having done so meaningfully before now, it will take time and incur additional expense to expand the manufacturing capabilities in the U.S., but this is a worthy investment. Our nation’s biopharmaceutical industry has provided countless advances to human health over the past decades. It is imperative that we foster this industry to continue to benefit from the innovation, medical advances, and well-paying jobs it brings.

JULIA OWENS, PH.D., is president, CEO, and cofounder of Millendo Therapeutics, a company focused on endocrine drug development.