American Pharmacists Association Commends Executive Order to Support Pharmaceutical Supply Chains

On February 24, President Biden signed an Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains that details plans to establish more resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains for the greater economic prosperity and national security of the country.

The executive order also addressed this need within the pharmaceutical industry, stipulating that the Department of Health and Human Services would work with the appropriate pharmacy agencies to submit a report that will identify risks in the pharmaceutical supply chain, specifically related to finished drug products, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and critical safety items, such as personal protective equipment (PPE).

The order additionally clarified the need for the inclusion of policy recommendations in the report so that the Biden administration could identify actions to address any identified risks.

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) commended President Biden’s signing of the executive order in a press release, noting that adequate drug supply would be critical to ensuring pharmacists’ ability to provide care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January 2021, APhA had joined the Pharmaceutical Supply and Payment Chain Coalition with the goal of bringing to the attention of the Biden administration the critical importance of the resilience and diversity of the pharmaceutical supply chain in the country to support US citizens during the pandemic.

Additionally, APhA explained in the press release that they would recommend a year-long review of the supply chains for the public health and biological preparedness industrial base, in addition to the announced 100-day review of the global API supply chain. This would support the continued supply of critical items, such as PPE, during this period, according to APhA.

The association added that the executive order signed by the Biden administration is an important step to ensuring the supply chain for pharmaceuticals and APIs is uninterrupted as the country continues to recover from the pandemic, noting that APhA is ready and willing to step in to assist the administration to support this process.

REFERENCE

American Pharmacists Association Commends Executive Order to Strengthen Pharmaceutical Supply Chains. Washington, DC: American Pharmacists Association; February 25, 2021. [email] Accessed March 1, 2021.