On August 6, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order to
boost domestic production of pharmaceuticals, Active Pharmaceutical
Ingredients, and personal protective equipment (PPE), and declaring
the reduction of dependence on foreign manufacturers of these
products to be "critical" to the nation. The Executive
Order provides:
- Federal agencies are required to
purchase Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical
Inputs that are produced in the United States;
- The FDA is required to identify
regulations that can be streamlined to eliminate barriers to
domestic production of these products.
The Executive Order charges the Secretary of Health and Human
Services with prioritizing production of these materials pursuant
to the Defense Production Act. Exceptions to this Executive Order
are provided based on cost, availability and "public
interest," but such exceptions must be justified on an annual
basis.
