MADE in America Act is critical for the pharmaceutical industry

The last couple of years are ripe with many lessons. From education to healthcare access to supply chains, America has had to revisit and revamp the way we work, learn and do business. We’ve also been confronted with the challenges of our global interdependence.

While much good can come from our interconnectedness, there are indeed risks that come along with it. Many American industries have come to the realization that we have become over-reliant on overseas manufacturing. This is especially true when it comes to the pharmaceutical industry.

When supply chains are down and global shipping is at a standstill, waiting on decorations, toys and other consumer goods can be frustrating. But when it comes to prescription drugs, waiting can be life-threatening.

Before COVID-19 hit, many in our industry knew that our dependence on foreign nations for so many critical links in the pharmaceutical supply chain was a looming disaster.

An estimated 80% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used to create many of the drugs Americans rely on come from China and India, along with a few other countries. When those governments shuttered factories and borders, getting those necessary ingredients became a challenge, crippling supply chains and becoming a public health emergency here at home.

That’s why last week, the Biden administration signed an executive order to launch a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative. The goal is to grow our domestic biomanufacturing capacity to compete with foreign manufacturers more effectively and reduce our reliance on them.

This week, bioscience leaders from across Texas gathered in Irving to collaborate on ways to continue to grow North Texas’ life science industry. Our state is a leader in the national biopharmaceutical industry, attracting investors and innovators who want to continue to build on a track record of innovation and discovery.

But our industry needs the right policy and regulatory environment to continue to thrive and grow so we can stay competitive and build more manufacturing capacity here in the Lone Star State.

U.S. lawmakers need to encourage and incentivize domestic production of pharmaceuticals and their components. And the good news is that there is currently a vehicle in Congress that would allow them to do just that. The legislation, the Manufacturing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Drugs, and Excipients (MADE) in America Act, has bipartisan support in the House and Senate, a signal of the importance of this piece of legislation.

The bill would encourage domestic manufacturing, and it would improve and streamline Food and Drug Administration processes to help bolster domestic manufacturing.

Domestic production is good for our physical health, and it’s good for our economic health. Life sciences jobs are high-paying, quality jobs and creating more of them right here in the Lone Star State will only continue to build upon Texas reputation as a leader in bioscience.

In the coming weeks, Congress has the opportunity to act on the MADE in America Act as part of their broader efforts to pass the Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorization, a bill key to funding the FDA and helping patients gain access to treatments as quickly as possible. The current authorization of this act is set to expire on September 30.

U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lake Dallas, is a health care leader in the House. His support of this legislation will make sure that we can bring more manufacturing to Texas, help balance out our supply chain and make sure we can do our part to compete with China. On behalf of the Texas life sciences industry, we call on him to support this legislation.

Victoria Ford is the president and CEO of The Texas Healthcare & Bioscience Institute. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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