Trump Signs EO to Strengthen Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

On Aug. 13, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) directing the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take steps to strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain.

The EO instructs ASPR to identify 26 critical drugs vital to national health and security, obtain a six-month supply of the critical Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) – giving preference to domestically manufactured APIs, and store them in the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve (SAPIR). ASPR is also tasked with updating its 2022 list of 86 essential medicines and proposing a plan to obtain and store a six-month API supply for those drugs. Finally, ASPR is tasked with developing a proposal to open a second SAPIR.

The EO builds on the Trump Administration’s goal to “secure America’s pharmaceutical independence,” noting that only about 10% of APIs for U.S. prescription drugs are manufactured domestically.