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1 min ago
The coronavirus exposed the US' reliance on India for generic drugs. But that supply chain is ultimately controlled by China
From CNN's Priyali Sur
Sarah Thebarge, a 41-year-old physician assistant living in San Francisco, takes a pill every day to treat her lupus, a chronic condition that causes unbearable joint pain, fatigue and fainting spells.
The medicine she takes is hydroxychloroquine or HCQ.
But in March, HCQ, which is also used to treat malaria, suddenly became harder to get after US President Donald Trump touted the drug as a possible treatment for Covid-19.
As people started hoarding it, India -- which reportedly makes 70% of the world's supply of HCQ -- quickly halted exports to secure its own supplies.
"When the hoarding started, my 30-day supply was in back order," said Thebarge. "The scenario really scared me, what would happen to me if I couldn't get HCQ?"
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved HCQ as the treatment for Covid-19, but the episode showed how dependent the US is on India for drugs -- namely generic drugs, which are copies of brand-name pharmaceuticals that have the same effects but cost less.
In the US, 90% of all prescriptions are filled by generic drugs and, one in every three pills consumed is produced by an Indian generics manufacturer, according to an April 2020 study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and KPMG.
While the US seems to hold sway with its ally India in obtaining the finished product, there's a bigger issue earlier in the supply chain.
India gets around 68% of its raw materials -- known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) -- from China. Any disruption in that supply chain can create a major problem, especially during a pandemic.
Read more here
The coronavirus exposed the US' reliance on India for generic drugs. But that supply chain is ultimately controlled by China
From CNN's Priyali Sur
Sarah Thebarge, a 41-year-old physician assistant living in San Francisco, takes a pill every day to treat her lupus, a chronic condition that causes unbearable joint pain, fatigue and fainting spells.
The medicine she takes is hydroxychloroquine or HCQ.
But in March, HCQ, which is also used to treat malaria, suddenly became harder to get after US President Donald Trump touted the drug as a possible treatment for Covid-19.
As people started hoarding it, India -- which reportedly makes 70% of the world's supply of HCQ -- quickly halted exports to secure its own supplies.
"When the hoarding started, my 30-day supply was in back order," said Thebarge. "The scenario really scared me, what would happen to me if I couldn't get HCQ?"
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved HCQ as the treatment for Covid-19, but the episode showed how dependent the US is on India for drugs -- namely generic drugs, which are copies of brand-name pharmaceuticals that have the same effects but cost less.
In the US, 90% of all prescriptions are filled by generic drugs and, one in every three pills consumed is produced by an Indian generics manufacturer, according to an April 2020 study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and KPMG.
While the US seems to hold sway with its ally India in obtaining the finished product, there's a bigger issue earlier in the supply chain.
India gets around 68% of its raw materials -- known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) -- from China. Any disruption in that supply chain can create a major problem, especially during a pandemic.
Read more here
