Burns proposal to end U.S. reliance on China for prescription drugs adopted by PA House
Resolution urges Congress to protect pharmaceutical supply chain
Rep. Frank Burns April 15, 2020 | 2:13 PM
Harrisburg, April 15 – Just two weeks after being proposed by state Rep. Frank Burns, the House unanimously approved word-for-word his resolution calling for an end to U.S. reliance on foreign pill makers for many important and life-saving drugs – and urging Congress to approve the Protecting Our Pharmaceutical Supply Chain From China Act.
Burns, D-Cambria, said he was glad to see unusually swift action on the idea he put forth March 31. As in a strategic move, the full text of his proposal was amended into H.R. 628, which was then immediately and unanimously adopted by the House.
“For the long-term health and security of our nation, we cannot allow something as critical as prescription medicine to be so heavily reliant on foreign production,” Burns said. “If you can’t get the pills you need because the supply chain is broken somewhere in China, that’s something we’ve got to remedy pronto.”
Quality control is another problem, Burns said, noting that just last year, a contaminant formerly used in rocket fuel was ingested by millions of Americans taking tainted blood pressure drugs produced in China.
The federal bill Burns called on his fellow Pennsylvania lawmakers, Democrat and Republican, to support would:
- Ban U.S. agencies from purchasing pharmaceuticals with active ingredients produced in China.
- Increase transparency by requiring the FDA to create a registry of all drugs, and by requiring drug companies to list active ingredients and their countries of origin on labels.
- Provide crucial incentives to ramp up U.S. manufacturing of pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices.
Burns is – and intends to remain -- one of the Pennsylvania legislature’s most outspoken members when it comes to restoring U.S. manufacturing might. He recently introduced a package of “American Made” legislation designed to revive domestic production capacity and create thousands of good-paying jobs.
“Just as American lives are at stake when we can’t produce enough ventilators for the critically ill, Americans are also going to suffer – and possibly die – if they don’t have reliable access to quality prescription drugs,” Burns said. “To me, these issues are one in the same in that they can both be solved by bringing production back to the U.S.A.”