Trump Signs EO to Strengthen Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

September 9, 2025

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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.

Initiatives

Calls grow for Drug Patent reform

In a recent blog post, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) highlighted increased attention to pharmaceutical companies’ abuse of drug patents. Last month, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of a generic drugmaker in a “skinny labeling” case, a victory for patients. Skinny labels allow generic and biosimilar competitors to launch products for non-patented indications, helping accelerate […]
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perspectives

AHIP calls for Bipartisan reform to address health care cost drivers

On July 23, AHIP President and CEO Mike Tuffin wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times saying, “common-sense bipartisan reforms are needed to promote competition in care delivery and prescription drugs, protect consumers from providers and drugmakers’ anticompetitive practices and transition away from the perverse incentives of fee-for-service medicine.” Tuffin notes that health […]
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August 11, 2026

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Solutions

PCMA urges preserving patient access and flexibility in new fertility benefits rule

PCMA recently submitted comments to HHS, DOL, and the Treasury (the Departments) in response to the proposed rule establishing a new category of limited excepted benefits for fertility services. PCMA supports the Departments’ goal of expanding access to fertility care while encouraging employer innovation but urged several targeted refinements to ensure the framework is operationally […]
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August 11, 2026

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