Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand have introduced the Consumer Labeling for Enhanced API Reporting and Legitimate Accountability for Base Entity Listings (CLEAR LABELS) Act, which aims to require country of origin labeling on prescription drugs in the United States. The legislation responds to concerns that many prescription drugs and their active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are produced overseas, especially in China and India, without clear public disclosure about their origins.
Currently, federal regulations do not mandate drug manufacturers to disclose where APIs or finished products are made. This lack of transparency means patients, pharmacists, and healthcare providers may not know the origins of medications they use daily. The CLEAR LABELS Act seeks to change this by mandating labels on prescription drugs that identify original manufacturers and the source countries of both drugs and APIs.
The proposal follows bipartisan work led by Scott and Gillibrand, including an investigative report and numerous requests for information from federal agencies and industry stakeholders regarding the U.S.'s dependence on foreign-made generic drugs.
Rick Scott said, “As parents and grandparents, we do everything we can to make informed, safe decisions that keep our families safe and healthy. But right now, families are being kept in the dark about where their drugs are coming from. America’s drug supply is dependent on our enemies like China and countries such as India to manufacture our drugs and ingredients, often with limited transparency and oversight. This broken process leaves patients in the dark about where their drugs come. Families deserve to have confidence that the medicines they take are safe, regulated, and clearly labeled. That’s why I’m leading the bipartisan CLEAR LABELS Act with Ranking Member Gillibrand to add country of origin labels to your medicines and help ensure every American can feel comfortable knowing what’s in their medicine cabinet.”
Kirsten Gillibrand stated, “Americans deserve to know where their prescription drugs are manufactured so they can make informed health care decisions. The CLEAR LABELS Act would shine a light on pharmaceutical manufacturing by making this information readily accessible to patients, pharmacists, and providers while strengthening accountability across the supply chain. As the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, I will keep fighting to make sure every American has access to safe, effective, lifesaving medications and the clear, reliable information they need.”
Senator Ron Johnson expressed his support: “The American people deserve to know where their drugs are coming from so they can make informed medical decisions. I’m proud to cosponsor the CLEAR Labels Act to help increase transparency, consumer safety, and drug choice by requiring disclosure of formerly opaque supply chains.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville added: “Most Americans are so used to taking medicines that they don’t stop to think where it comes from. We have become way too reliant on foreign supply chains for our generic medicines—and it’s putting our health at risk. Americans deserve to know where their medicines are being made and what ingredients they contain. It’s common sense. I’m proud to join Sen. Rick Scott in introducing the CLEAR Labels Act to give Americans the truth so they can make more informed decisions when it comes to the medicines they consume.”
Senator Katie Britt also commented: “Patients deserve transparency to make informed health care decisions. If someone is taking drugs from China and other foreign adversaries, they deserve to know. That’s why I am proud to support the CLEAR LABELS Act to help restore faith in the quality, safety, and reliability of the medications Americans depend on.”
The Senate Aging Committee oversees issues affecting older Americans nationwide through hearings and policy recommendations covering programs such as Medicare and Social Security as described on its official website. Rick Scott serves as chair while Kirsten Gillibrand is ranking member of this committee according to official sources. The committee also provides resources such as a fraud hotline aimed at protecting older adults from exploitation as detailed online.
