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Finally read this piece, which attempts to debunk the claim that 80% of the API’s/bulk pharmaceuticals/component ingredients of the drugs Americans take are made in China.
Here is, as they say, A THREAD. 1/ https://reason.com/2020/04/06/why-you-shouldnt-trust-anyone-who-claims-80-percent-of-americas-drugs-come-from-china/
Here is, as they say, A THREAD. 1/ https://reason.com/2020/04/06/why-you-shouldnt-trust-anyone-who-claims-80-percent-of-americas-drugs-come-from-china/
2/ The piece appropriately points out that the FDA doesn’t track this (& companies don't have to tell them), so their data is unreliable. People keep using this chart as a “gotcha,” but even the FDA has said this is self-reported Chinese data so it’s worth pretty much nothing.
See: https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/USCC%20Mark%20Abdoo%20FDA%20Hearing%20Statement%20073119.pdf and also https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/how-much-does-u-s-rely-china-for-drugs-fda-simply-doesn-t-know
3/ But weirdly, this piece doesn’t mention at all the work done by the US China Economic & Security Review Commission, which has been toiling on this issue for years. Based on testimony and industry data, we have a clearer picture.
4/ Back in 2014, it was estimated that 40% of finished US drugs were made outside the country, close to 80% of the API’s in US drugs were made abroad, and at least half of those API’s were purchased from India/China. https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Coukell_testimony.pdf
5/ In July 2019, DOD testified to a similar stat: “DoD’s understanding, based on business intelligence from the FDA & the commercial sector that 80% of the APIs used by the commercial production industry are sourced from China, India, & other non-TAA compliant countries.”
You can read that testimony here: https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Priest%20US-China%20Commission%20Statement.pdf
6/ About 90% of the medicines Americans take are generic drugs, and those drugs are primarily supplied by India and China. https://www.newsweek.com/2019/07/19/bottle-x-exposing-impurities-generic-drug-business-1446934.html
7/ What’s troubling is that India’s gov’t has also found that 80% of *their* API’s are from China, so all the drugs we get from India likely contain Chinese APIs. http://pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=109959&sid=1
8/ Commercial data suggests a heavy reliance on Chinese API as well. In a 2010 study of pharma executives conducted by the consulting firm Axendia, 70% of the executives surveyed reported having key ingredient suppliers in China. https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Coukell_testimony.pdf
9/ In addition to the API’s, the Chinese pharma firms have captured 97% of the US market for antibiotics, and more than 90% of the market for Vitamin C (which is used in all manner of things besides as a supplement). https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/coronavirus-disrupt-us-drug-supply-shortages-fda
10/ In 2018, 95% of ibuprofen, 91% of hydrocortisone, 70% of acetaminophen, and 40-50% of heparin imported into the US came from China, according to the Commerce Dept. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/20/policymakers-worry-china-drug-exports-088126
11/ We currently do not have the capacity to manufacture any of these APIs or drugs ourselves (last US penicillin plant closed in 2004). So we’d be up a creek if China decided to stop exporting to us, as one of China’s state papers recently threatened. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/coronavirus-china-us-drugs-trump-rubio-china-virus-xinhua-hell-epidemic-a9400811.html
12/ But back to APIs. As demonstrated: 80% of APIs in US drugs are made abroad; at least half of APIs are purchased from India/China; 80% of India’s APIs are Chinese made; a poll of industry execs says 70% have ingredient suppliers in China.
13/ Educated conservative guess: At least 60% of American drugs rely on Chinese APIs. And also we cannot make any drugs ourselves. But, yeah, otherwise, everything is great.
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Actually I lied, two more thoughts: I think it's reasonable to say 80%, given that our last industry data showed a 70% reliance on China for APIs, and that was 10 years ago. I think any stat between 60-80% is probably somewhere in the ballpark.
Moreover, I was spurred to put this thread forward b/c the Reason piece didn't try to even examine the scope of the problem; it just sort of denied by inference that there was one. So in case this isn't clear, there is a BIG PROBLEM w/ our drug reliance on China.
And also, though the piece tries to make @Rosemary100 look ill-informed, she wrote a 300 page book on the topic with 900 footnotes. It's educated me and a host of others. I suggest critics read it before throwing shade.
