Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C) joined Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in reintroducing the bipartisan Rolling Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Drug (RAPID) Reserve Act to help increase supply chain resiliency for critical generic drugs and their key ingredients by bolstering supply reserves and domestic production capacity through federal contracts. The RAPID Reserve Act would help reduce drug shortages, enhance preparedness, and mitigate national security threats from U.S. overreliance on China for critical medications and their key ingredients.
“For far too long, America has faced a drug shortage that not only threatens patients’ health but poses a national security risk by forcing us to rely on Communist China’s supply chains for essential medications. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan RAPID Reserve Act to bring drug manufacturing back to the U.S., prioritize sufficient medication reserves, and support increased production in emergencies to reliably meet patient demand,” said Senator Budd.
“Every American should be able to get the medicine they need when they need it. Increasing domestic and reliable manufacturing capacity for our critical, lifesaving medications is essential to addressing drug shortages that can compromise patient care. This bipartisan bill will help ensure Americans receive the essential medications they need while strengthening our ability to respond to future public health crises,” said Senator Peters.
Read the full bill text HERE.
Background
The RAPID Reserve Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award contracts to quality manufacturers of critical generic drug products who are based in the United States or in a country that is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in order to maintain reserves of critical medications and their key ingredients while building the capacity to surge production when needed. Through these contracts, which would prioritize domestic manufacturers, the RAPID Reserve Act would help strengthen vulnerable supply chains by ensuring that when there is a disruption in supply, manufacturers can draw on reserves and surge production to meet demand.
Senators Budd, Peters, Blackburn, and Kaine have also sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting the agency examine underutilized domestic manufacturing capacity and federal efforts to invest in advanced manufacturing capabilities.
The RAPID Reserve Act is supported by the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), and Phlow.
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