(WNY News Now) – In a bid to bolster domestic generic medicine production, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) has unveiled the Producing Incentives for Long-term Production of Lifesaving Supply of Medicines (PILLS) Act. The legislation aims to entice pharmaceutical companies to shift their generic medicine manufacturing operations to the United States by offering lucrative tax incentives.
Washington D.C. – In an effort to reinvigorate the production of generic medicines within the United States, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has introduced the PILLS Act. This legislation seeks to address a trend in the pharmaceutical industry, which has seen the majority of generic medicine production move overseas, predominantly to India and China. The primary reason behind this shift is the significantly lower production costs abroad. However, this relocation raises serious concerns regarding the quality and safety of these medicines and the vulnerability of the supply chain.
The PILLS Act offers pharmaceutical companies a range of tax incentives designed to encourage the complete relocation of generic medicine production processes, from materials sourcing to testing, to U.S. facilities. The ultimate goal is to rebuild the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain, safeguard medicine quality, and create jobs within the United States.
Congresswoman Tenney explained the urgency behind the legislation: “In recent years, drug manufacturing has shifted away from the United States, threatening American jobs and the security of our vital medicine supply chains. To bolster domestic generic medicine production and guard against future supply chain disruptions, I introduced the PILLS Act to incentivize businesses to produce these important pharmaceutical products in the United States. This legislation is a crucial step to not only re-shore drug production but also to strengthen our domestic supply chains and create American manufacturing jobs.”
Support for the PILLS Act has been strong, with advocates emphasizing the urgent need to rectify the current situation. Zach Mottl, Chairman of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, highlighted the pressing nature of the issue: “The PILLS Act is an incredibly important bill that would create massive incentives to strategically reshore U.S. domestic production of generic medicines. Our country is facing a national health care crisis due to ongoing, and worsening, shortages of essential lifesaving generic drugs, which account for roughly 90% of all prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. Currently, the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign manufacturers—particularly in China and India—for essential, lifesaving generic medicines. Since 2002, imports from India have increased 35 times, while the floodgates have opened to allow imports from China to rise to an astounding 165 times their 2002 levels. This should sound alarm bells through Washington and highlight the need to pass the PILLS Act in order to address the shortage crisis and rebuild America’s domestic production of generics, antibiotics, and other key medicines.”
The PILLS Act represents a step toward ensuring the United States can maintain a reliable supply of generic medicines, protect medicine quality, and boost the domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
Leave a Reply