HHS Releases White Paper Focused on Preventing Drug Shortages

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a white paper highlighting steps the organization has taken to prevent and mitigate drug shortages and proposing additional solutions for policymakers to consider. Specifically, HHS has established a new supply chain resilience and shortage coordinator role to strengthen implementation of strategies to enhance supply chain resilience for pharmaceuticals and other medical products, and has issued guidance to increase supply chain transparency, while continuing to consider additional long-and short-term solutions. 

HHS has also taken steps to increase resilience and redundancy within the market. This work includes supporting domestic manufacturing of key ingredients and drugs to address various vulnerabilities. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response has invested $500 million to date to support active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, and is exploring how it can utilize new authorities to promote the onshoring of essential medicines, medical countermeasures and their critical ingredients. Moreover, HHS is developing policies to foster resiliency by considering Medicare payments, and additional requirements, to support a more diverse supply chain.