Udow-Phillips weighs in on gravity of drug shortages as coronavirus disrupts supply chain
As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt global supply chains, many industries are feeling the impact of these disruptions. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is among the industries that could be affected. The closure of factories in China and India could result in drug shortages in the United States.
With coronavirus striking the global east, Nathan Bomey of USA Today turned to CHRT for an article about U.S. reliance on the global pharmaceutical manufacturing supply chain. The article notes that overseas coronavirus-related logistics slowdowns pose a threat to domestic drug supplies, because of closed factories and policy changes in India and China.
Weighing in on the gravity of the situation, CHRT Executive Director Marianne Udow-Phillips says “supply chain disruptions could be truly serious for our access to drugs.” She also points out the importance of the issue to foreign manufacturers and suppliers. “I think it’s likely the Chinese government will do everything they can do to prevent that disruption because it’s so fundamental to their economy.”
The article provides some reassurance to readers, and clarifies the active efforts of hospitals, health systems, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to increase drug supplies and make alternative drugs available to patients.