US President signed ‘buy American first’ pharma executive order

Recently, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing some federal agencies to prioritise purchasing certain drugs and medical materials when made in the United States.

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The scope of the order issued remains unclear because it will direct the Food and Drug Administration to produce a list of ‘essential medicines, medical countermeasures and critical input’ that will be covered by the new requirements.

China has been the dominating global player in the production of personal protective equipment (PPE).

In the United States, 90 per cent of all prescriptions are filled by generic drugs and, one in every three pills consumed is produced by an Indian generics manufacturer, according to a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and KPMG in April.

India gets around 68 per cent of its raw materials known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from China.

But Trump’s order comes after an initial scramble within the United States to obtain medical supplies and equipment at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, much of which has been produced or sourced from abroad.