Is it even possible to return pharmaceuticals manufacturing to the United State to ensure national security?
When I started out I worked for a large diversified Company that made Chemicals, Agricultural products and Pharmaceuticals (both proprietary and generic). FDA inspections were a way of life. We had plants all over the country and also contracted with toll manufacturers in places like South Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and elsewhere. Our drugs and drug intermediates were made in the USA under FDA scrutiny.
Over the years all this gradually changed. The pharmaceutical operations were sold to a different conglomerate which was sold to a different conglomerate and as far as I know they don’t make anything in the USA anymore. My company was not alone in this.
On the Chemicals side, my division started outsourcing their products. I went to Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India, China and Mexico to look for places to make our products.
The Japanese places were OK, the Korean places less so but adequate. The Taiwan, India, Chinese and Mexican plants were a freaking joke and their safety performance was horrible. I got so disgusted with that job I resigned.
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/16/723545864/the-generic-drugs-youre-taking-may-not-be-as-safe-or-effective-as-you-think