Where does the US get most of its pharmaceuticals?

China
China Is the Top Source of U.S. Pharmaceutical Imports, With India and Mexico Also Major Sources – Public Citizen.

How much of America’s medicine comes from China?

While the Department of Defense only purchases a small quantity of finished pharmaceuticals from China, about 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to make drugs in the United States are said to come from China and other countries like India.

Are medicines made in China safe?

The commission also cautioned about “serious deficiencies in health and safety standards” in Chinese drug factories. Translation: Beware of putting anything made in China in your mouth. The Food and Drug Administration claims pharmaceutical ingredients from China are safe.

What drugs does the US import from China?

Last year, China accounted for 95 percent of U.S. imports of ibuprofen, 91 percent of U.S. imports of hydrocortisone, 70 percent of U.S. imports of acetaminophen, 40 to 45 percent of U.S. imports of penicillin and 40 percent of U.S. imports of heparin, according to Commerce Department data.

Is Ibuprofen made in China?

A substantial share of all generic drugs we import comes from China, including a staggering 93 percent of all imported ibuprofen. The drugs China produces are notoriously low quality, even deadly.

Are any medications made in the USA?

The United States, through its investment in biomedical research, has become a world leader in drug discovery and development, but is no longer in the forefront of drug manufacturing. Historically, the production of medicines for the U.S. population has been domestically based.

What is the problem with Chinese pharmaceuticals?

In 2008, the contamination of a raw ingredient imported from China and used to make heparin, a blood-thinning drug, was associated with at least eighty-one deaths the United States. According to an investigative journalist, fraud and manipulation of quality data is still endemic in Chinese pharmaceutical firms.

Does the Department of Defense buy pharmaceuticals from China?

While the Department of Defense only purchases a small quantity of finished pharmaceuticals from China, about 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to make drugs in the United States are said to come from China and other countries like India.

Is the United States too dependent on foreign suppliers?

A recent study found that the United States is now dependent on foreign suppliers and producers for not only cheap components and consumer goods like sneakers and plug-in headphones, but also high-end electronics, major pharmaceutical inputs and medical equipment, and also defense supplies and technology. The latter does not single out China.

Could China use our medicine as a weapon against US?

As Rosemary Gibson noted in her testimony, centralization of the global supply chain of medicines in a single country makes it vulnerable to interruption, “whether by mistake or design.” If we are dependent on China for thousands of ingredients and raw materials to make our medicine, China could use this dependence as a weapon against us.