Stop Pharma China production

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gounion
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Stop Pharma China production

Post by gounion »

Op/Ed via WaPo:
During a winter of extraordinarily high rates of infectious diseases, U.S. pharmacies have run out of the antibiotic amoxicillin. The government has had to release emergency reserves.

That’s not the only drug in short supply. The Food and Drug Administration counts at least 123, a list that includes albuterol inhalers, morphine, lidocaine anesthetics and even saltwater infusions. And the United States is not unique. Most of the 27 European Union countries are experiencing similar shortages, including France, Germany and Italy.

Without amoxicillin, many cases of strep throat — currently at its highest rate in decades — would turn into scarlet fever, which can cause heart-valve damage. Not since the approval of amoxicillin in 1974 have U.S. citizens had to worry about scarlet fever killing children and older people. Other shortages have been linked to increased mortality and C-sections in childbirth.

It was inevitable that this winter would bring a tide of communicable diseases, after three years of minimizing contact. But it was not inevitable that we would be so poorly equipped.

Why are so many drugs in short supply? Outsourcing.

The FDA blames drug shortages on “manufacturing quality issues” and difficulties with the supply of raw materials. Underlying these problems is outsourcing. Fully 97 percent of U.S. antibiotics are made in China. The United States produces 28 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients in drugs used here; China and India now produce about a third of them. The number of registered pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in China more than doubled from 2010 to 2019.
If we got into a Taiwan issue with China, they could kill lots of Americans by refusing to sell us pharmaceuticals. We need to stop it, no matter how much profit people like JoeMemphis is making off of them. More:
The fragility of these supply chains is a risk to national security and health — as became obvious early in the pandemic. The United States has allowed its main geopolitical rival to manufacture too many key generic medications and raw materials used to produce them. And it is now dependent upon countries with histories of contamination and poor-quality pharmaceutical manufacturing, with facilities the FDA cannot inspect as regularly as it does those on home turf.

About 60 percent of FDA inspections of pharmaceutical plants in the Asia-Pacific region result in “Form 483s” — flags for findings that might violate U.S. quality standards. When a production line for an ingredient or finished drug becomes contaminated, it slows or stops production, and spare production lines are vanishingly rare. Reliance on China creates a trade-off between using contaminated products or a shortage of drugs, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

The United States was not always so reliant on drugs manufactured overseas. From 1976 to 2006, the Internal Revenue Code exempted from taxation corporate income generated in U.S. territories — including Puerto Rico. The island became a low-cost production site for drugs and medical devices. It was when this subsidy ended that manufacturing moved.

Many Democratic and Republican politicians want to “reshore” as much manufacturing as possible. After microchips, drugs may be the most important products to bring back home. There are many ways the federal government could encourage this. A bipartisan group of senators and representatives is sponsoring the American Made Pharmaceuticals Act. It focuses on creating a demonstration project and other ways for Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs to preferentially purchase generics that are produced domestically.

A faster, simpler fix is to reinstitute the tax break for drug and device manufacturing in Puerto Rico — with two caveats. First, borrowing a provision of subsidies for electric vehicles, the tax break should require that with each year companies use a greater share of U.S.-produced ingredients and components until these are over 75 percent. Second, that companies demonstrate steady improvements in quality — fewer contamination problems.

Puerto Rico has idle plants, a trained pharmaceutical workforce and relatively low wages, making it an attractive place for drug and device manufacturers to locate. Such a revival could also help draw Puerto Rico out of recession. And reshoring drug production with reliable supply chains and quality controls would minimize shortages for Americans.
Our conservatives will all run like hell away from this thread.
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ZoWie
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Anyone who takes generics already knows most of them come from Asia. Not just China. Vietnam and Taiwan are well represented. One just hopes the ingredients aren't as sloppy as the packaging.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Notice how our conservatives never speak out against China? Or Russia?

Our conservatives always love going to Walmart for all the Chinese goods. They don't care that we've sold our sovereignty for a corporate noose of gold.

Only the Dems will do anything about it. We passed the CHIPS Act, most Republicans voted against it.
gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Wow you sure are pro-China.

The reason we didn't have masks is because they're all made in China, and they decided they needed them more than we did.

You put China's interests before ours. How hilarious.
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Number6
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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ZoWie wrote: Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:38 am Anyone who takes generics already knows most of them come from Asia. Not just China. Vietnam and Taiwan are well represented. One just hopes the ingredients aren't as sloppy as the packaging.
One of the many duties I had in the AF was building air transportable hospitals and air transportable clinics. When we packaged the drugs we'd write down the manufacturer, lot number, and expiration dates of the drugs and enter it into our computer which we'd then printout a packing list of items we put in the boxes. While reading the information off the drugs I'd notice where they were produce and most of what we had was produced in the U.S. but there were some from Ireland, India, and Puerto Rico. From my understanding for drugs produced outside the U.S. for use in the U.S. the FDA had to inspect the manufacturing plants to ensure they met U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing standards. That doesn't mean once inspected the overseas manufacturer won't cut corners to make more money by lowering FDA manufacturing standards.
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ZoWie
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Hopefully the Air Force specifies a more rigorously inspected class of drugs than the cheap generics that most civilian health insurance companies pay for. I can't remember the last time one of these didn't come from Asia or maybe Mexico. You just hope the stuff works at all.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
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Number6
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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ZoWie wrote: Sun Jan 22, 2023 1:45 pm Hopefully the Air Force specifies a more rigorously inspected class of drugs than the cheap generics that most civilian health insurance companies pay for. I can't remember the last time one of these didn't come from Asia or maybe Mexico. You just hope the stuff works at all.
We bought generics whenever possible because they were cheaper and were identical to the brand name drugs. When we bought brand name drugs it was either because the drug was patent protected, not available in generic form, only one manufacturer produced it, or the pricing we got from the manufacture/distributor was equal to or cheaper than the generic. Our hospital/clinic pharmacy formulary was developed by the doctors, pharmacist, and medical commanders to standardize what prescription drugs were to be used. This helped to keep drug costs down by preventing pharmaceutical companies from incentivizing doctors to prescribe the company's high priced drugs.

One a side note, I did a cost comparison once on comparing how much a drug costs a drug store versus the amount the military pays. What I discovered was the military pays 40% - 60% of what civilian pharmacies pay. This was in the early 90s before major stores got into the pharmacy business. The reason for the military paying less is because we utilized blanket purchase agreements with manufacturers and distributors which all bases could use therefore we got a large discount because the military bought so much. Also, back then, most of the drugs we ordered came from military depots who bough in bulk to support military hospitals/clinics and they too got big discounts.
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gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Number6 wrote: Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:03 pm We bought generics whenever possible because they were cheaper and were identical to the brand name drugs. When we bought brand name drugs it was either because the drug was patent protected, not available in generic form, only one manufacturer produced it, or the pricing we got from the manufacture/distributor was equal to or cheaper than the generic. Our hospital/clinic pharmacy formulary was developed by the doctors, pharmacist, and medical commanders to standardize what prescription drugs were to be used. This helped to keep drug costs down by preventing pharmaceutical companies from incentivizing doctors to prescribe the company's high priced drugs.

One a side note, I did a cost comparison once on comparing how much a drug costs a drug store versus the amount the military pays. What I discovered was the military pays 40% - 60% of what civilian pharmacies pay. This was in the early 90s before major stores got into the pharmacy business. The reason for the military paying less is because we utilized blanket purchase agreements with manufacturers and distributors which all bases could use therefore we got a large discount because the military bought so much. Also, back then, most of the drugs we ordered came from military depots who bough in bulk to support military hospitals/clinics and they too got big discounts.
And the Medicare Part 3 drug benefit the GOP gave us, prohibited Medicare from negotiating on price. They are required by the law to pay whatever the Pharma companies want to charge.

It’s the Republican way.
Glennfs
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by Glennfs »

That is what happens when the democratic party makes " Big Pharma " an enemy of the people.
They pack their tent and leave.
Same is true of many other industries. You folks on the left have regulated them and harrassed them right out of the country.
" I am a socialist " Bernie Sanders
gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Glennfs wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:09 am That is what happens when the democratic party makes " Big Pharma " an enemy of the people.
They pack their tent and leave.
Same is true of many other industries. You folks on the left have regulated them and harrassed them right out of the country.
They moved production out long before that. They did so to make more profit.

Of course the R&D is still here, because they can get the government to pay for all of it.

Wow, you'll make anything up to defend China production.

But please, PROVE your wild assertion.
Glennfs
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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gounion wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:40 am They moved production out long before that. They did so to make more profit.

Of course the R&D is still here, because they can get the government to pay for all of it.

Wow, you'll make anything up to defend China production.

But please, PROVE your wild assertion.

Another liberal lie. The pharmaceutical industry spent 70 billion on R and D .

You just keep repeating anything your liberal masters say as fact.



https://www.drugcostfacts.org/drug-development
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gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Glennfs wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:17 am Another liberal lie. The pharmaceutical industry spent 70 billion on R and D .

You just keep repeating anything your liberal masters say as fact.



https://www.drugcostfacts.org/drug-development
Prove your assertion that we’ve driven Pharma to China. You can’t.
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Number6
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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gounion wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:38 am Prove your assertion that we’ve driven Pharma to China. You can’t.
glenn is the George Santos of this board.
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JoeMemphis

Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by JoeMemphis »

Glennfs wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:17 am Another liberal lie. The pharmaceutical industry spent 70 billion on R and D .

You just keep repeating anything your liberal masters say as fact.



https://www.drugcostfacts.org/drug-development
Depends upon what you consider R&D. You would be surprised what it cost to take a drug to market. It is very expensive. Further, many compounds you research never make it to market. They don’t make it through clinical trials or another similar compound may be more effective.
Glennfs
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by Glennfs »

gounion wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:40 am They moved production out long before that. They did so to make more profit.

Of course the R&D is still here, because they can get the government to pay for all of it.

Wow, you'll make anything up to defend China production.

But please, PROVE your wild assertion.
Of course you would believe that lawsuits regulations and being labeled an enemy to society by the left has nothing to do with them or any other company taking production elsewhere
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ProfX
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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Outsourcing is largely driven by industries seeking the floor of wages and labor regs found in other countries. No one "drove" them off - they chose to seek the drain.
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Bludogdem
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

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JoeMemphis wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 1:31 pm Depends upon what you consider R&D. You would be surprised what it cost to take a drug to market. It is very expensive. Further, many compounds you research never make it to market. They don’t make it through clinical trials or another similar compound may be more effective.
The major R&D cost is those that never make it to market. Even those that. Never make it to testing. These are extremely expensive facilities and people.
JoeMemphis

Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by JoeMemphis »

ProfX wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:04 pm Outsourcing is largely driven by industries seeking the floor of wages and labor regs found in other countries. No one "drove" them off - they chose to seek the drain.
As it relates to Pharma, one reason pharma operates in China is to do business in China. Most large Pharma companies have factories and distribution centers all over the globe.
JoeMemphis

Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by JoeMemphis »

Bludogdem wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:10 pm The major R&D cost is those that never make it to market. Even those that. Never make it to testing. These are extremely expensive facilities and people.
Most compounds never make it thru testing and trials.
gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by gounion »

JoeMemphis wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:11 pm As it relates to Pharma, one reason pharma operates in China is to do business in China. Most large Pharma companies have factories and distribution centers all over the globe.
So you're in favor of us not having control of our medications, and leaving it in the hands of a rival.

Of course, you make more money that way, don't you?
JoeMemphis

Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by JoeMemphis »

gounion wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:18 pm So you're in favor of us not having control of our medications, and leaving it in the hands of a rival.

Of course, you make more money that way, don't you?
So that’s not what I said. Not at all. Not even close.
gounion
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Re: Stop Pharma China production

Post by gounion »

JoeMemphis wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:23 pm So that’s not what I said. Not at all. Not even close.
No, what you said was an excuse.

If China attacks Tiawan, and we come to their defense, and China refuses to sell drugs to us, what happens then?

You don't care, do you? All that matters is profit.
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