On Wednesday, October 8, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing titled “Bad Medicine: Closing the Loopholes That Kill American Patients.” The session, led by Committee Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand, aims to address the United States’ heavy reliance on foreign-manufactured generic drugs and explore solutions to related risks, particularly for older Americans.
The hearing builds on previous committee discussions about vulnerabilities in the supply chain for generic medications. According to the committee announcement, the focus will be on legislative and regulatory options to strengthen domestic production of generic drugs and ensure that patients have access to affordable, high-quality, and safe medications.
Witnesses scheduled to testify include Tony Sardella, founder and chairman of the Center for Research Innovation in Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and distinguished fellow at Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School; Tony Paquin, president and CEO of iRemedy Healthcare, Inc.; Andrew Rechenberg, economist at Coalition for a Prosperous America; and Marta Wosinska, Ph.D., principal investigator in economic studies at the Brookings Institution’s Center on Health Policy.
The committee stated that witnesses will provide recommendations such as relocating pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the United States, increasing transparency in supply chains, requiring country-of-origin labeling, and addressing critical loopholes like the Acetris legal gap that could impact drug safety and accessibility.
The hearing is set for 3:15 p.m. at Hart Senate Office Building room SH-216. A live online broadcast will be available.
"Bad Medicine: Closing the Loopholes That Kill American Patients" will focus on finding ways to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign-made generics while protecting patient health.
