US reports first drug shortage tied to virus outbreak

WASHINGTON (AP):

Health officials reported the first US drug shortage tied to the viral outbreak that is disrupting production in China, but they declined to identify the manufacturer or the product.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said late Thursday that the drug’s maker recently contacted officials about the shortage, which it blamed on a manufacturing issue with the medicine’s key ingredient.

The FDA previously said it had reached out to 180 drug manufacturers to check their supply chain and report any potential disruptions. The agency also said it had identified 20 drugs produced or sourced exclusively from China, but it declined to name them.

For decades the pharmaceutical industry has shifted manufacturing to China, India and other countries to take advantage of cheaper labour and materials. Today, roughly 80 per cent of the ingredients used in US medicines are made abroad, according to federal figures. India and other Asian nations rely on Chinese drug ingredients to make finished generic pills.

China ranks second among countries that send drugs and biotech medicines to the U.S., according to the FDA. It is also the top exporter of medical devices and equipment to the US.

The country is a major producer of antibiotics for the US market, as well ingredients and medicines for common chronic conditions such as heart disease, according to Nicolette Louissaint, executive director of Healthcare Ready, a group funded by drugmakers, government and foundations that tracks the impact of epidemics and natural disasters.

Chinese factories making pharmaceutical ingredients and drugs are still operating, but a little below capacity, Louissaint said recently. Cargo carriers are still transporting those products from China to other countries, she said.