Experts say China could shut down the American health care system in several months because of our dependence on Chinese production of pharmaceutical and medical supplies. It is estimated that 97% of all antibiotics and 80% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for domestic production come from China. Generic drug manufacturer countries such as India would shut down in weeks without the core components they buy from China.

China has achieved this dominance using predatory mercantilist policies such as “dumping” to undercut American drug manufacturers. This practice has been going on for some time, and our politicians have been AWOL on the issue. Country-of-origin legislation introduced in Congress in 2008 died immediately. It seems our Congress and the pharmaceutical industry do not think the American people want to know where their medicines come from.

Because we have no choice, the FDA is allowing stuff in that doesn’t meet standards, making trade-offs between sub-standard medicines and preventing shortages of medicines. Two years ago, there was a huge recall of blood pressure medicines because a company in China that made the active ingredient knowingly allowed contamination with carcinogenic rocket fuel compounds. As detailed in the 2018 book “China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine,” it took the FDA four years to pick it up and issue the recall.

Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic drug, is largely manufactured in China. It kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.

China’s stated aim is to become the pharmacy to the world. I believe them.

Joseph Krill

Delmont

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