WHAT THEY ARE SAYING… Chairman Rick Scott Garners Nationwide Attention on Investigative Report Exposing America’s Overreliance on Foreign-Manufactured Generic Drugs and Fixing[...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Chairman Rick Scott of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging highlighted the broad support for his new report with Ranking Member Gillibrand titled, "Protecting Seniors' Access to Essential Medications: Securing the Foreign Generic Pharmaceutical Supply Chain," which exposes America's dangerous overreliance on foreign-made generic drugs, which are largely imported from India and China. The investigative report, as well as the solutions outlined, continue to receive national attention and build on the committee's work to strengthen oversight of generic drug safety, lower prescription costs, and ensure access to safe, affordable, American-made medications for America's seniors. Chairman Scott previously outlined these concerns in an op-ed for The Hill HERE.

From investigating the safety of foreign-made generic drugs to holding hearings on prescription drug affordability, Chairman Scott's leadership on the Senate Special Committee on Aging continues to drive bipartisan action to address America's overreliance on foreign-manufactured drugs as well as improve affordability and access to safe, American-made generic drugs for every American, including our seniors.

See below for more on the impact of the investigative report and support for Chairman Scott's work:

In discussion of the report, Maria Bartiromo, host of Mornings with Maria on Fox Business, agreed with Chairman Scott, saying, "Why are we so reliant on Communist China for our prescription drugs? The fact that we only make what 8% of antibiotics in this country, I mean, that's criminal…there's a dereliction of duty…get your supply chains to America, this is a national security issue."

Retired Army Col. Vic Suarez in ProPublica said, "If these recommendations are put into action, then it really resets the table of the health care system in the United States. When you combine all the federal agencies to do this in one aligned acquisitions strategy, it just has a really exponential impact that we've never seen before."

The Floridian said, "The hearing is a part of a movement by the Senate committee to protect vulnerable Americans by moving pharmaceutical manufacturing to the U.S. and eliminating weaknesses in the current drug supply system, along with dangerous loopholes that compromise drug safety and accessibility."

Tony Paquin, chief executive officer of iRemedy Healthcare, said, "Foreign dependence for critical medical products is not just a supply chain risk, it's a national security threat. We must secure our ability to care for own people."

Andrew Rechenberg, economist at Coalition for a Prosperous America, said, "America's medicine supply chain is in a crisis. Two decades of offshoring have caused domestic pharmaceutical production to fall from 84% of the U.S. market in 2002 to just 37% today. Leaving 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredients with no U.S. source, whatsoever. India and China have captured the market by undercutting American producers."

McKnights Long-Term Care News said, "A new investigative report released by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rick Scott (R-FL), ranking member and chairman of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging, respectively, details the United States' overdependence on foreign-made generic drugs. It argues that the country needs to take certain regulatory and economic steps to combat this. Pharmaceuticals manufactured in the US have dropped by 46% since 2002… Also, about 90% of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for global antibiotics come from China, and 83% of the top 100 generic drugs consumed by US citizens have no US-based source of APIs."

Highlights of the report include:

• In 2024, the U.S. manufactured 37% of its consumed pharmaceuticals, a stark decline from 2002 when that figure was 83%.
• China accounts for 95% of U.S. imports of ibuprofen, 70% of U.S. imports of acetaminophen, and up to 45% of U.S. imports of penicillin.
• Approximately 90% of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for global antibiotics are of Chinese origin, and 83% of the top 100 generic drugs consumed by U.S. citizens have no U.S.-based source of APIs.
• While India supplies approximately half of all generic drugs used in the U.S., Indian manufacturers rely on China for approximately 80% of the API that they use.
• According to a 2025 study, the occurrence of serious adverse events for generic drugs manufactured in India was 54% higher than for equivalent drugs that were manufactured in the United States. Adverse events were hospitalization, disability, and death.

Bipartisan policy recommendations to begin addressing these problems and securing safe and reliable generic drug access for all Americans include:

• Establish a federal buyer's market for essential medicines, prioritizing American-made products first, and prioritizing near- and friend-shoring if American-made products are not available
• Map our generic drug supply chains
• Require companies to disclose country of origin for finished pharmaceuticals
• Utilize trade levers like the administration's 232 investigation authority
• Pass clarifying language to close loopholes that allow foreign-made products to be categorized as 'Made in America'
• Support U.S. biotechnology

Read the full report HERE. Watch Chairman Scott's latest hearings HERE.

###