It's Past Time To Retake Control Of America's Drug Supply

By Bill Wiederseim

In the not-so-distant past, America was number one in pharmaceutical innovation, manufacturing excellence, and product quality, in large part because U.S. pharmaceutical companies had ultimate control over their supply chains, manufacturing facilities, and packaging operations. Those days are gone.

Today, Asia produces most of the small-molecule APIs used to make generic and branded prescription drugs sold in the U.S. The U.S. drug supply is 90 percent generic, by volume, with some 80 percent of the APIs used to make these generics, as well as branded drugs, coming from China or India.