Indy Standard

Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging have released an investigative report examining the United States’ reliance on foreign-made generic drugs. The report, titled “Protecting Seniors’ Access to Essential Medications: Securing the Foreign Generic Pharmaceutical Supply Chain,” addresses concerns about national security and public health due to the country’s dependence on pharmaceuticals imported mainly from India and China.

The committee held two hearings in September and October 2025 with expert witnesses who discussed risks associated with this reliance and provided recommendations for securing America’s pharmaceutical supply chains. Chairman Scott also published an op-ed highlighting these threats.

Chairman Rick Scott stated, “The United States’ overreliance on foreign-made generic drugs, especially those made in adversarial nations, is a very real threat to all Americans, but especially our aging population. Not only have we had many recorded cases of these imported, generic drugs being contaminated and causing death and injury, if Communist China, our adversary, or India shut off the flow of these essential drugs, the U.S. would only have months of prescription drug supply, forcing us to begin rationing drugs and turning away all but the most in need within a matter of weeks! Our seniors deserve better, and this report is just the beginning as we expose this national security and public health crisis and how to fix it by increasing Food and Drug Administration oversight and bringing generic drug production back to America. Congress has to work with the Trump administration and act now to make sure that Americans have safe and high-quality drugs and to secure the prescription drug supply chain.”

Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand added, “In the richest country in the world, our constituents shouldn’t have to worry about the safety and availability of the drugs they need to fight devastating diseases like cancer. Making sure that the supply chain for generic drugs continues to be safe and reliable is essential to protect American patients, and this report is a critical first step to that end. We must increase oversight over foreign-manufactured generic drugs through improved enforcement power and a robust Food and Drug Administration (FDA) foreign inspector workforce. We must also boost domestic production of generic drugs and investments in cutting-edge biotechnology research to make sure that all Americans have access to the high-quality medications they need. Generic drugs are a critical option to keep prescription drug prices affordable, but that cannot come at the expense of quality. As ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, I am committed to working on bipartisan solutions to secure the prescription drug supply chain, and I encourage the Trump administration and my colleagues in Congress to work together to heed the recommendations of this report so we can protect American patients.”

Key findings from their investigation show that as of 2024 only 37% of pharmaceuticals consumed in America were manufactured domestically—a significant drop from 83% in 2002. China supplies most U.S. imports for certain medicines: 95% for ibuprofen; 70% for acetaminophen; up to 45% for penicillin; roughly 90% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used globally in antibiotics are sourced from China; 83% of top-selling generics consumed by Americans lack any U.S.-based API source.

India provides about half of all generics used domestically but relies on China for around 80% of its APIs. A recent study found serious adverse events—including hospitalization or death—were reported at rates 54% higher for Indian-manufactured generics compared with those made in America.

To address these issues, recommended policy actions include establishing a federal buyer’s market favoring American-made products; mapping supply chains; requiring disclosure about countries where finished pharmaceuticals originate; using trade tools such as Section 232 investigations; closing loopholes related to ‘Made in America’ labeling; supporting domestic biotechnology efforts.

The full report is available online.