Report: White House Plans Executive Order Requiring Essential Drugs Made in the United States

President Donald Trump may soon sign an executive order requiring essential drugs to be manufactured in the United States, according to a CNBC report.

A source told CNBC the executive order could happen as soon as Friday, as advisors continue looking at ways to make America’s drug supply chain less dependent on China and foreign countries as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Thirteen percent of active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing is located in China, according to Congressional testimony from a Federal Drug Administration official in 2019. The United States only has 28 percent of pharmaceutical manufacturing and the remaining 72 percent is overseas.

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has previewed the executive order for weeks, but the pharmaceutical industry continues to lobby against the idea.

“This Big Pharma spin is simply a desperate attempt to stop President Donald J. Trump from moving the production of our essential medicines and medical equipment and supplies to the U.S.,” Navarro told CNBC in a March interview.