Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging have sent a letter to the leaders of three major group purchasing organizations (GPOs)—Premier, Inc., Vizient, and HealthTrust Performance Group—requesting information about vulnerabilities in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. The committee is investigating how dependence on foreign manufacturers and gaps in regulatory oversight may put American patients, especially seniors, at risk of receiving unsafe or unavailable medications.
The senators are seeking input from these GPOs to better understand their role in strengthening transparency, quality, and resilience within the pharmaceutical supply chain to ensure consistent access to safe and affordable medicines for Americans.
This request follows a recent investigative report by Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Gillibrand that outlined risks associated with America’s reliance on foreign-manufactured generic drugs. On September 17, the committee held a hearing examining how this dependency affects drug safety and availability. Another hearing on October 8 brought together committee members and experts to discuss ways to reinforce domestic pharmaceutical supply chains. Additionally, Scott and Gillibrand recently wrote to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary expressing concerns about oversight of overseas-produced generic drugs imported into the United States. They also sent a letter to HHS regarding dangers tied to these foreign-manufactured medications.
In their letter, Scott and Gillibrand wrote: “The Senate Special Committee on Aging is examining how vulnerable pharmaceutical supply chains present a risk to supply chain security. As group purchasing organizations (GPO), Vizient, Premier, Inc., and HealthTrust Performance Group play a pivotal role in leveraging size to bring down costs, allowing small providers to enjoy the same prices as larger health systems. GPOs also enable health systems to focus on delivering quality care as they can specialize in price negotiations and deal shopping. Given this essential responsibility, we write to request information and insight regarding existing supply chain vulnerabilities.”
The senators highlighted recent reports indicating that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted exemptions for certain drugs or ingredients subject to import bans imposed due to substandard manufacturing conditions at some foreign factories. These exemptions have allowed potentially unsafe drugs into the U.S., with many cases involving facilities in China and India since 2013.
They also pointed out that ongoing geopolitical instability could further threaten the stability of pharmaceutical supplies from countries like China and India—major suppliers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and key starting materials (KSM). For example, despite an April 2025 trade agreement between China and the United States over rare earth elements, China imposed new export restrictions later that year. This move raised concerns that similar restrictions could be applied in future diplomatic disputes involving pharmaceuticals.
“Ultimately,” they wrote, “the interaction between regulatory oversight and geopolitical dynamics presents significant challenges to the safety and reliability of our pharmaceutical supply chain. It necessitates ongoing vigilance and proactive measures to ensure that patients receive high-quality and safe medications.”
Scott and Gillibrand requested detailed responses from each GPO by November 30, 2025—including information about purchases of exempted drugs from banned manufacturers; awareness of any related quality issues; estimates on national drug inventory if Chinese exports were halted; practices around sharing drug quality information with buyers; contract terms with generic manufacturers; strategies for addressing supply disruptions; willingness among buyers to pay more for stable supplies; barriers or incentives related to long-term contracts; among other questions.
“As chairman and ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging,” they concluded in their letter, “the health and safety of Americans, especially our seniors, is our top priority. Thank you for the work that Vizient, Premier, Inc., and HealthTrust Performance Group do to ensure patients have access to affordable medications. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response and a continued dialogue on securing the pharmaceutical supply chain for Americans.”
