Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging have sent a letter to the chief executive officers of CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. The senators are seeking information about how these major pharmacy chains are addressing vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
The letter highlights recent reports that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted import exemptions for drugs produced in foreign factories, mainly in China and India, which had previously failed to meet safety standards. Scott and Gillibrand raised concerns that such exemptions, combined with growing geopolitical instability, could impact drug quality and availability for American patients, especially seniors.
The senators wrote: "The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging is examining how vulnerable pharmaceutical supply chains present a risk to supply chain security. As America’s largest pharmacies, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart play a critical role in ensuring that millions of Americans, including many seniors, have access to safe and affordable generic drugs. Given this essential responsibility, we write to request information regarding CVS’s, Walgreens’, and Walmart’s efforts to address existing supply chain vulnerabilities and ensure your customers understand the source and quality of the medications you dispense."
They referenced reporting showing that the FDA has allowed certain drugs or ingredients into the U.S., despite previous import bans due to substandard manufacturing conditions at some foreign factories. Since 2013, more than 150 drugs or ingredients have received such exemptions. While many facilities eventually resolve issues to be removed from import alert lists, these exemptions can still pose risks for consumers.
Recent geopolitical events were also noted as potential threats to pharmaceutical supply stability. For example, after a bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and China on rare earth elements was reached in April 2025, China imposed new export restrictions later that year—raising concerns about possible future restrictions on pharmaceuticals given China's significant role as a supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials (KSMs).
"Ultimately, the interaction between regulatory oversight and geopolitical dynamics presents significant challenges to the safety and reliability of our pharmaceutical supply chain," they wrote.
The senators also addressed transparency issues around country-of-origin labeling for medications. They cited recommendations from a Congressionally-commissioned report by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine urging that manufacturing locations be included on drug labels—a recommendation not yet implemented by the FDA. Research indicates both pharmacists and consumers prefer drugs made in North America over those from China or India; however, lack of accessible information limits informed choices.
Scott and Gillibrand requested detailed information from each pharmacy by November 30 regarding their sourcing practices for generic drugs—specifically what proportion comes from India or China—as well as their quality assurance measures, plans for country-of-origin labeling, monitoring processes related to FDA actions against manufacturers abroad, among other topics.
"The health and safety of American citizens, especially our seniors and other vulnerable populations, must be protected from the threats posed by U.S. overreliance on foreign-made generic drugs," they stated.
